A pioneering epidemiological study investigating the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of tongue in a Portuguese population.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anterior two thirds of the tongue in a population living in central and southern Portugal, all treated at Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa, Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG).


METHODS
This study was a retrospective review of all patients who had a histo- pathological diagnosis of SCC of the anterior two thirds of the tongue and had been treated in the Head and Neck Surgery Unit at the IPOLFG (Lisbon, Portugal), between 1st January 2001 and 31st December 2009. The risk factors evaluated were: gender; age; alcohol consumption; tobacco use; prosthesis use and the carcinoma site.


RESULTS
Of the 424 cases analysed, 71% were men. Mean age of occurrence was in 5th decade for males and the 6th decade for females, and the border of the tongue was the most common location. Alcohol consumption and tobacco had a lower impact in women, being the most common aetiological factors in the male population. No significant association was observed between patients and the use of a prosthesis.


CONCLUSIONS
In spite of the consumption of aohol and tobacco starting to decline in certain parts of the world, our findings showed both factors still have a significant impact in male population. Further research should be done to determine aetiological factors in females.
Master of Oral Medicine, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Rui-Pionheiro
RP
Albuquerque
Jose
J
López-López
Enrique
E
Jané-Salas
Jorge
J
Rosa-Santos
Carlos
C
Ibrahim
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult