A systematic review and meta ‐analysis of the prognostic role of age in oral tongue cancer

Although oral tongue cancer is generally considered to affect older patients, increasing evidence suggests an increasing incidence in younger patients. The study results illustrated that age at diagnosis had varying effects on the risks of poor outcomes and local recurrence. We suggest that younger patients with oral tongue cancer should receive personalized follow ‐up plans to improve prognosis by identifying disease recurrence at an early stage. AbstractWhile evidence suggests an increasing incidence of tongue cancer in young adults, published findings regarding the prognostic role of age at diagnosis are inconsistent. We performed a meta ‐analysis of the literature to highlight key points that might help in understanding the association between age of oral tongue cancer patients at diagnosis and their prognosis. According to age at diagnosis, a systematic literature review of all published cohort studies assessing the recurrence r isks and mortality associated with tongue cancer was conducted. We compared the risk estimates between patients aged>45  years and those aged<45  years at diagnosis. Random‐effects models were used to calculate summary relative risk estimates (SRRs) according to different clinical outcomes and sources of between‐study heterogeneity (I2) and bias. We included 31 independent cohort studies published between 1989 and 2019; these studies included a total of 28,288 patients. When risk estimations were not adjusted for confounders, no s...
Source: Cancer Medicine - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: REVIEW Source Type: research