title: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue in patients younger than 30 years: clinicopathologic features and outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the possible effect of young age on clinical behaviour and survival outcome of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, case control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A major tertiary referral centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-five patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma with at least 2 years of follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical and histopathological staging, disease-free survival, disease-specific survival and overall survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven patients (13%) were younger than 30 years. Compared to the older patients, they had a significantly worse N stage (P = 0.041), more perineural invasion (P = 0.012), and higher rates, though not significant, of treatment failure (46%, including 60% with distant metastases, versus 35%, nearly all locoregional) and mortality (100% of treatment failures versus 73%). There were no significant between-group differences in 5-year disease-free, disease-specific, and overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, patients younger than 30 years of age presented with advanced tumour stages and with a different failure pattern compared to the older age group. This may be attributable to age-related biologic behaviour or delayed cancer diagnosis. Differences in disease free survival and overall survival could not be established.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soudry
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Preis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hod
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hamzany
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hadar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bahar
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Strenov
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shpitzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult