title: Case-control study on prognostic factors in oral squamous cell carcinoma in young patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oral squamous cell carcinoma affects mainly patients between the fifth and sixth decades of life, being rare in the young (≤40 years old).
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic, clinical, and pathologic features, and the long-term survival of 125 patients younger than 41 years of age were compared with 250 control patients older than 50 years old. Data were submitted to Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of nonsmokers was higher in the younger patients (p = .04). In the younger patients, tumors at advanced clinical stage (p < .01) and poorly differentiated tumors (p = .01) were associated with a higher risk of recurrence. The relapse rate was higher in the younger patients (p = .02); however, there was no significant difference on overall survival (p = .86). The younger patients diagnosed after the 1990s had less advanced clinical stage tumors, had an increase in the use of combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, and their overall survival was improved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Otorhinolaryngology, A.C. Camargo Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Estela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaminagakura
authors.forename: José Guilherme
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Vartanian
authors.forename: Sabrina Daniela
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Carlos Roberto
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Luiz Paulo
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Kowalski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology