Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx in young adults.

Studies of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx in young adults differ as to whether younger patients resemble the general population of head and neck cancer patients. A retrospective study was performed on 23 patients (40 years old or younger) with oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma at New York University Medical Center between 1961 and 1984. Patients with oropharyngeal cancer resembled the general population of head and neck cancer patients. In contrast, oral cavity carcinoma occurred more frequently in women under the age of 35 and lacked the usual etiologic factors of tobacco and alcohol abuse. Survival correlated best with the TNM stage of disease at initial presentation. Patients with Stage I and II lesions had an excellent response to surgical treatment alone and a high 5-year survival rate. Patients with advanced Stage III and IV disease had a poor survival rate with single modality treatment. We recommend surgery and radiotherapy in patients with advanced disease.