Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

 َBackground: Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (HNSCC) is a disease of older adults, but recently there have been reports of a rising incidence in young adults. There are several etiological factors for HNSCC. The use of cigarette and alcohol are two main risk factors of tumors of the HNSCC. Chronic anemia which leads to mucosal atrophy may increase the susceptibility to carcinogenesis especially tongue cancer. The purpose of this research is to study the incidence of SCC of head and neck and relationship of this tumor to the risk factors in patients 40 years old or less in comparison to patient over 40 years old.

Methods: In this retrospective, descriptive study medical files of 262 patients with SCC of the head and neck were studied (a 15 year period -from 1982 to 2007) in Hazrat Rasool-e- Akram hospital in

Tehran. Fifteen patients were young and aged less than 40 years old. This study compared sex, tumor site, risk factors, stage and grade of tumor, cervical node involvement and hematologic statues. All data were analyzed using Chi² and Mann-Whitney tests. SPSS V.15 software was also used. Probability of less than 0.05% was considered as significant.

Results: There was significant statically association between site of tumor and age, sex, consumption of cigarette, consumption of alcohol, anemia and cervical node involvement. Larynx was the most common site of involvement in both sexes. Laryngeal involvement was more common in men (92%) and involvement of hypopharynx was more in women (61%). Tongue involvement was the same in both sexes. The most common site of involvement in young patients was larynx (40%) and tongue (40%) and in patients older than 40 years it was larynx (82.5%). In this study 5.8% of patients were 40 years or less, 66.6% had never smoked and 53.3% had not shown any exposure to two major risk factors, alcohol and cigarette.

Conclusion: Due to absence of two major risk factors in head and neck SCC of young patients it seems that biology of SCC of the head and neck in young and old adults could be different. Other risk factors may play a role in development of SCC of head and neck in former group.