title: [Laryngeal cancer in patients younger vs older than 40 years old: a matched-paired analysis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare clinical and demographic data between laryngeal cancer patients younger and older than 40 years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  Is a matched-paired study, realized from 1989 to 2002. We selected 500 laryngeal cancer patients treated in the National Cancer Institute of Mexico. Fifteen cases of patients younger than 40 years that accomplished inclusion criteria were identified, pair-matched and compared by clinical stage with 33 patients older than 40 years. We analyzed demographic factors and disease-free and Overall Survival by Kaplan-Meier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 9 male and 6 female patients with a mean age of 34 years in contrast to a mean age of 62 years in the comparison group. Four cases in clinical stage I, none clinical stage II, 6 in stage III and 5 in stage IV were included in the younger group and compared to 8 patients in stage I, 15 in stage III and 10 in stage IV in the older group. No differences in demographic variables or lifestyle habits were found. All patients in stage I, are alive in both groups. Disease-free survival not show any differences when comparing stages III and IV (p=NS). Mean disease-free survival was 66 months and mean overall survival was 83 months in the younger group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laryngeal carcinoma is rare in patients younger than 40 years. No gender, clinical or prognostic differences could be identified among the two groups. The prognosis of these patients seems to be only determined by the initial clinical stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, México, DF México. kuauhyama@starmedia.com
authors.forename: Kuauhyama
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luna-Ortiz
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Villavicencio-Valencia
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasche
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavin-Lozano
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrera-Gómez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult