Risk of lymph node metastasis in T1 tonsil squamous cell carcinomas patients according to age stratification at diagnosis

Background

The objective of this study is to assess the association between age and lymph nodes metastasis (LNM) in T1 tonsil squamous cell carcinomas (TSCC) patients.

Methods

Patients with T1 TSCC were extracted from the SEER database between 2005 and 2014. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were produced to recognize the association between age and risk factors of LNM.

Results

A total of 2430 patients were analyzed. Younger patients more frequently presented with LNM compared to their older peers (P < 0.01, respectively.). In multivariate analyses, older age was associated with a significantly lower risk of LNM. Compared to patients aged 29–39-years-old, the hazard ratios for patients aged 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and 70–88 years old were 0.911 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.370–2.245), 0.641 (95 % CI 0.268–1.535), 0.511 (95 % CI 0.212–1.231), and 0.236 (95 % CI 0.095–0.584), respectively. Subgroups analysis shows that the effect of older age was significantly associated with a lower risk of LNM in all groups except for Asian patients (P < 0.05, respectively).

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that younger patients with T1 TSCC had a higher risk of LNM than their old peers and the effect of older age was significantly associated with a lower risk of LNM in all groups except for Asian patients. More accurate assessments of LNM and prophylactic neck dissection or prophylactic adjuvant radiation therapy to neck will be imperative for reducing recurrence in younger T1 TSCC.