A meta-analysis of oral squamous cell carcinoma in young adults with a comparison to the older group patients (2014–2019)

Abstract

Background: The oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) often affects elderly aged adults, who had long-term tobacco exposure. In the recent past decade, there is an increasing incidence of OSCC in younger individuals, who had less tobacco association. Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the risk factors and to assess and compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis of OSCC in young patients with the older group patients. Materials and Methods: We included studies that addressed the OSCC involving young patients during the period between 2014 and 2019. Initially, we found 679 articles; after refined evaluation, 92 works had their titles matching to the present work. After extraction of case reports, reviews, and studies with un-matched objectives or inadequate data, we have chosen only 24 presentations matching to the abstract. The statistical analysis performed by Chi-square tests using SPSS 20.0 version for windows. Results: Of the total OSCC, 10% of patients belonged to the younger age group, and 90% were the older aged group. Both the groups showed male gender predominance and tongue as the predominant site of involvement. The younger patients tend to have significantly reduced tobacco exposure. The highly reported tumors were advanced staged and moderately differentiated tumors in both groups. There was a statistically evident high recurrence reported in the younger group. The overall survival seems to be similar for both groups. Conclusion: The identification of the potential risk factors, along with unique molecular mechanisms, and biological behavior of the disease is mandatory to control the incidence of OSCC in young adults.

MicroRNA-21 Expression as a Prognostic Biomarker in Oral Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…More than 350,000 new cases of OSCC are diagnosed every year worldwide, but the poor prognosis of oral cancer has not improved significantly in recent decades [ 2 ], with a tendency to worsen even for the young population [ 3 ]. The 5-year survival rate of patients with oral cancer is less than 50% [ 4 ], and the therapies applied, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, lead to a significant reduction in the quality of life [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Comparison of Clinico-Demographic and Histological Parameters Between Young and Old Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Buccal mucosa and the lateral border of the tongue were the most common sites for OSCC in younger patients. Mohideen et al and Abdulla et al from South India reported similar results [4,7]. The buccal mucosa is one of the common sites for OSCC in South India because of the placement of quid in the buccal/labial vestibule.…”

“…Although this is common in the older population, recent global epidemiological studies indicate an increase in the incidence of OSCC in younger patients (approximately 5-16.5%, below 40 years); however, the cause of this increasing trend remains unclear [ 7 ]. Studies have reported that oral cancers in younger individuals are more aggressive and show poor patient prognosis and survival rates [ 7 ]. Disagreements exist in the literature on the prognosis and survival outcome of OSCC in younger patients.…”

A 13-Gene DNA Methylation Analysis Using Oral Brushing Specimens as an Indicator of Oral Cancer Risk: A Descriptive Case Report

“…It usually affects patients in the sixth to eight decades of life, despite recently there is an increasing incidence of OSCC in younger individuals. Elderly OSCC patients generally report usual exposure to well-known risk factors for cancer insurgence, such as tobacco or alcohol consumption [ 1 ]. The tongue is the most common site of OSCC insurgence despite the age of presentation, even though some authors reported the alveolar process as a predilection OSCC site in elderly patients [ 2 ].…”

“…OSCC is commonly preceded by oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), of which oral leukoplakia (OL) is the most common [ 3 ]. In addition, patients affected with OSCC can develop loco-regional recurrence during aftercare at a rate of 40% [ 4 ], and recent studies reported higher recurrence percentages in younger patients compared to elderly ones [ 1 ]. The clinical and histological features of a single OPMD do not provide sufficient information for identifying patients who will develop OSCC during follow-up.…”