Prevalence of Tongue Carcinoma in Young Population: A Retrospective Institutional Study

Abstract

Background: Oral cancer is the most common cancer in India, and tongue is one of the most frequently affected sites in
young people with rising prevalence in all. In many countries, the prevalence of intraoral cancer appears to be increasing,
particularly in younger people. Although the quantitative relationship is equalizing, malignant neoplastic disease affects males
several times more often than females, and in recent times, raised cases are being identified jointly as young females in
older women. However, the prevalence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is growing in individuals below the age of
40 years. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence, histopathology grading, and tumor,
nodes, and metastases (TNM) stage of the SCC involving tongue among the young patient’s with the objective being to
find out the prevalence of tongue SCC at the particular anatomic sites, age group, gender, and associated habits, at tertiary
academic medical center in Bareilly population over the period of 5 years. Materials and Methods: The current retrospective
research was conducted by analyzing the medical history of pathologically confirmed oral tongue SCC cases diagnosed at a
tertiary academic medical center in the area of Bareilly from January 2014 to December 2019. The patients were divided into
two age categories: Older (over 40 years of age) and younger (ages 40 and below). Data were contrasted between the two
groups associated with tongue carcinoma prevalence, associated habits, tumor and histopathological features, and node and
metastases grading. Results: The findings showed that, out of 137 (27.9%) cases of tongue SCC cases, 78 (56.9 %) (58 males
and 20 females) SCCs of tongue cases were found in young patients and 59 (43.1%) (41 males and 18 females) SCCs of tongue
cases were determined in older patients with male predominance in both age groups. The majority of cases in young age group
showed significant mixed habits, moderately differentiated grade and 47 cases were presented at advanced clinical stage of
TNM (III and IV), while only 31 cases were presented at early stage (I and II). Conclusion: SCC of the tongue could also be
related to a variable clinical course in younger patients. While the disease-specific outcome is typically analogous to that of
older patients, there is an unusually aggressive disease in some patients. In addition to providing instructions on the treatment
regimen to be followed in each case of oral SCC, tumor, node, and metastasis grade of malignant tumor (TNM grade) has been
used for several years to predict the prognosis and survival of carcinoma patients, such that early diagnosis and prevalence of
carcinoma helps to increase the quality and quantity of lifespan of the patients.

Key words: Metastases grades, nodes, squamous cell carcinoma, tongue carcinoma, tumor, young patients