Etiology of Oral Cancer in the Young Patient: Is Tongue Cancer Becoming the Other Cancer in Women?

The recently reported increase in the incidence of oral cancer in a younger population, especially in young women, in the absence of the traditional risk factors has raised concern. Of particular interest is the increased incidence of carcinoma of the tongue, which has been suggested to be a distinct entity. Although there are conflicting data on incidence and sex distribution, studies suggest that the physiologic response to risk factors by men and women and the clinical behavior of these cancers in the younger population may be different than the normal variant. Effort is currently being made to elucidate the etiology and pathogenesis of oral cancer in the younger population.