Information is meagre on aetiology of oral cancer in young people

Abstract

Data sources Searches were made of Medline, Cancerlit, the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) databases of SCI-expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index (SciSearch), and of Embase (1980–present) and the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences both via BIDS. Relevant journals and indices were searched by hand.

Study selection Only English-language articles published between 1957 and 2000 were included. Articles that did not include studies of squamous cell carcinoma or describing cancer of upper aerodigestive tract, oesophagus or larynx were excluded.

Data abstraction and synthesis A qualitative synthesis of the studies included was carried out.

Results A total of 46 articles exclusively considering young adults were identified, of which 28 examined potential risk factors. About 4–6% of oral cancers occur in people aged under 40 years. The usual male dominance does not appear to hold for younger patients. There are inconsistencies in the survival rates of younger patients compared with older patients but this may be due to small sample sizes and differences in treatment type and duration. Several studies suggest that many younger patients have never used tobacco or consumed alcohol or the duration of exposure is too short for malignant transformation too occur. There is insufficient research on association with occupation, immune defence, viral infections, diets low in fruit and vegetables or genetic factors.

Conclusions There is mixed evidence regarding the role of alcohol and tobacco as risk factors in young people. There is limited research on other risk factors.

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