Histological grading of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients in Ibadan using Bryne's and Broders' Grading Systems- a comparative study

Abstract

Background: Several histological grading systems for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have been used previously to guide treatment and prognostication, amongst which are the Broders and the Bryne's methods. The Bryne's invasive tumour front (ITF) protocol has been adjudged to have good prognostic significance. We compared the use of Bryne's ITF system and Broders' grading system in grading OSCC at our centre in relation to clinico-demographic profile of patients. Methods: Thirty-two formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue samples of histologically diagnosed OSCC patients at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan were selected, demographic data and site of lesions were retrieved from the medical records of the patients. The haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides of the 32 cases were prepared and evaluated using Bryne's ITF system and Broders classification. Results: Using Bryne's system, 28% of the cases had a high malignancy score while 72% had a low malignancy score. The high malignancy score lesions were most commonly seen in the palate (15.5%). Also Broders classification showed that 31.3% of cases were well differentiated tumours, 50% were moderately differentiated while 18.7% were poorly differentiated. Conclusion: Either the Bryne's system or Broders classification can be used to grade OSCC with similar results being obtained.