Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in young adults: Increasing incidence and factors that predict treatment outcomes

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine whether the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (SCCOT) in young adults has changed during the past 25 years and to determine prognostic factors for young adult patients (aged < 40 years) with SCCOT. METHODS AND PATIENTS: A retrospective review of young adults with SCCOT who sought treatment at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center between 1973 and 1995 was undertaken. RESULTS: The percentage of young adult SCCOT patients at M. D. Anderson increased from 4% in 1971 to 18% in 1993. T stage, N stage, perineural invasion, and lymphatic invasion were all associated with decreased survival. Patients who received a neck dissection as part of their primary treatment had a better chance of survival than patients who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of SCCOT in the young adult population is increasing in the United States. Appropriate surgical management for young adults with SCCOT includes resection of the primary tumor along with a selective node dissection.