Majchrzak Ewa, Szybiak Bartosz, Wegner Anna, Pienkowski Piotr, Pazdrowski Jakub, Luczewski Lukasz, Sowka Marcin, Golusinski Pawel, Malicki Julian, Golusinski Wojciech
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland ; Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland.
Radiol Oncol. 2014 Jan 22;48(1):1-10. doi: 10.2478/raon-2013-0057. eCollection 2014 Mar.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a disease of middle-aged to elderly adults. However, an increased incidence of HNSCC in young people under 45 years of age has been reported recently. In the present review, we focused on the epidemiology and aetiology of HNSCC in adults under 45 years of age.
We reviewed literature related to HNSCC in adult patients less than 45 years of age and discussed current treatment options and prognosis.
HNSCC in young adults is associated with a higher incidence rate in nonsmokers, lower female-to-male ratio, a higher percentage of oral cavity and oropharynx tumours, and fewer second primary tumours. However, aside from traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol exposure, the causes of these cancers in young adults remain unclear. Agents that might contribute to risk include infection with high-risk human papillomavirus subtypes as well as genetic factors or immunodeficiency status. The expected increase in incidence and mortality of the young with HNSCC may become a major public health concern if current trends persist, particularly lifestyle habits that may contribute to this disease.
Given the younger age and potential long-term adverse sequelae of traditional HNSCC treatments, young adults should be treated on a case-by-case basis and post-therapy quality of life must be considered in any treatment-decision making process.
头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）是一种好发于中老年人的疾病。然而，最近有报道称45岁以下年轻人中HNSCC的发病率有所上升。在本综述中，我们重点关注45岁以下成年人HNSCC的流行病学和病因学。
我们回顾了与45岁以下成年患者HNSCC相关的文献，并讨论了当前的治疗选择和预后。
年轻成年人中的HNSCC与非吸烟者发病率较高、女性与男性比例较低、口腔和口咽肿瘤比例较高以及第二原发肿瘤较少有关。然而，除了烟草和酒精暴露等传统危险因素外，这些年轻人患癌的原因仍不清楚。可能导致风险的因素包括高危型人乳头瘤病毒亚型感染以及遗传因素或免疫缺陷状态。如果当前趋势持续下去，HNSCC在年轻人中预期的发病率和死亡率上升可能会成为一个主要的公共卫生问题，特别是那些可能导致这种疾病的生活方式习惯。
鉴于传统HNSCC治疗的患者年龄较轻且可能存在长期不良后遗症，对年轻成年人应进行个体化治疗，并且在任何治疗决策过程中都必须考虑治疗后的生活质量。
