Survival of young and elderly adults with oral squamous cell carcinoma in a population in northeastern Brazil

Aim: To compare the profile and overall survival of young adults and elderly people diagnosed with SCC. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out at a High Complexity Oncology Unit, between 2010 and 2016. A descriptive analysis, a bivariate analysis using the chi-square and Fisher’s exact test and the Kaplan-Meier estimator were performed. The predictor variables were tested using the log-rank test and those with statistical significance and the literature were maintained for the Cox regression model. Results: 282 cases of SCC were recorded, with only 12.4% diagnosed in young adults. The profile was similar between groups, with the majority of cases of the disease occurring in males, smokers and alcohol consumers. The lesions predominantly located on the tongue and were diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease, resulting in 35.7% of deaths. The median survival time was 30 months in the elderly and 31 months in young people. In the multivariate analysis, age was not statistically significant, only staging and treatment were predictors of reduced overall survival. Conclusion: Tumor staging, and treatment were prognostic factors for the disease.