Survival in patients under 45 years with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue

Abstract

Squamous cell cancer among young adults is rare and thought to have aggressive biological behaviour and poor prognosis. Clinical case records of 76 patients under the age of 45 years treated for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue were retrospectively analysed to calculate the survival rates and the predictors of survival. The overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) at 5 year were 78.0% and 57.4% respectively. Tumour status, pathological node status, surgical clearance, the selection of appropriate treatment, type of primary and neck surgery, were found to significantly influence the survival rates. Young patients with SCC of the oral tongue were seen to have a comparable outcome and prognosis compared to that in older patients.