Young adults with squamous cell head and neck cancer: Ten years of a single institution’s experience (1999-2008).

Abstract

5567 Background: Head and neck cancer of squamous cell type (SCHNC) is characterised by its aggressiveness and strong relationship with smoking and drinking habits. It is generally diagnosed in locally advanced stages, mainly in middle-aged men. People younger than 35yo are rarely affected by this disease, and little is known about its behaviour among young Portuguese adults. Our aim was to describe the clinical and epidemiological features of young adults with diagnosis of SCHNC in a single oncological centre in Portugal. Methods: Retrospective cohort including clinical registries’ databases for patients (pts) with diagnosis of SCHNC, with 3391 eligible pts from 1999 to 2008. Pts aged ≧18yo and ≤35yo at diagnosis with histopathological diagnosis in our Institution were included. Pts admitted to radiation therapy with no follow-up information were excluded. 39 pts fulfilled the criteria described, comprising the study population. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS v19.0 for Mac (IBM, 2010, EUA), with values of p<0,05 considered significant. Results: Male sex predominance (82%) was observed. The median age of presentation was 33 yo [22; 35], with 90% smokers with a median of 18,5 package-years [1; 48]. Alcohol consumption was mild to moderate (n=9; 23%) or heavy (n=15; 38%). The median of follow-up time was of 24 months [1;151]. Locally advanced diseased was present at diagnosis in 24 pts, where localised disease was commonest among women (57%) than in men (29%). Median overall survival (OS) was not reached on this population, although K-M graphs seems to show a significant difference in survival between sexes. Alcohol consumption was the most significant variable to influence the survival (p<0,01). Conclusions: SCHNC in young people is a rare condition, with distinct epidemiological and clinical features. Women seems to have greater survival rates, which may be explained by other risk factors already reported for this gender, namely HPV infection. The finding of an apparent relationship between alcohol consumption and OS, and the high prevalence of alcoholic intake habits on this parcel of the population, urge the need of development of public health programs addressed to this specific age group.