[Clinical and histopathological analysis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in young adults].

Unlabelled: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is the malignant tumor arising most frequently in non-keratinized epithelial tissue of the upper part of the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts. These tumors develop most commonly in the sixth or seventh decade of life and significantly less frequently in patients younger than 45 years defined as young adults. In literature, there are still many controversies concerning the clinical course of these tumors in this group of patients.
Aim: Clinical and histopathological analysis of HNSCC in young adults.
Material and Methods: The study group consisted of 95 young adults (< or = 45 years) with HNSCC and the control group of 95 older patients (> 45 years) with HNSCC, who were treated in the Department of Otolaryngology and Laryngological Oncology of Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznań during the period 2000-2004. The analysis was based on medical records of patients.
Results and Conclusions: 1. In the young adults group and particularly in patients younger than 40 years there is a higher percentage of patients with oral cancer and lower percentage of patients with larynx cancer in comparison to older patients group, but in all analysed groups larynx cancer is the most frequent localization. 2. The tumors in young adults are clinically more advanced than in older patients, because young adults tend to delay the visit to physician, in spite of evident clinical symptoms. 3. HNSCC in young adults are histological more mature and less malignant.