Head and Neck Carcinoma in Patients under 40 Years of Age

From 1965-1978 over 2,700 patients were admitted to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary or the Massachusetts General Hospital with carcinoma of the oropharynx, larynx or nasopharynx; only 36 of these patients were less than 40 years of age. Twelve patients had oropharyngeal carcinoma, 13 patients had laryngeal or hypopharyngeal carcinoma, and 11 patients had nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Analysis of these patients indicates an increased incidence of head and neck cancer in younger females. In patients less than age 31 there was no significant social history which contributed to early onset of disease. The younger patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma survived longer than patients of all ages with comparable neoplasms. The survival of patients with oropharyngeal, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma is comparable to survival in patients of all ages with similar lesions.