Age Alone Did Not Worsen Oral Cancer Prognosis, Cohort Study Finds

Posted: July 22, 2026

Age Alone Did Not Worsen Oral Cancer Prognosis, Cohort Study Finds

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Younger age by itself did not predict a worse outcome in surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinoma, according to a retrospective cohort study published July 14 in Oral Diseases.

Researchers at the University of Cologne compared 68 patients aged 45 or younger with 616 older patients, all treated surgically for primary oral squamous cell carcinoma between 2009 and 2021, and reassessed each case under the eighth edition of the UICC/AJCC TNM classification.

Five-year overall survival and locoregional recurrence-free survival were similar between the groups, at 77% and 74% for younger patients and 74% and 74% for older patients.

In both cohorts, outcomes tracked with tumor-related factors rather than age. Stage, nodal status, resection margins, lymph node ratio, perineural invasion, and lymphovascular invasion were all significantly associated with survival. Among node-positive patients, a higher lymph node ratio predicted worse survival in both age groups, and older patients showed higher ratios despite comparable rates of lymph node metastasis.

Tumor location differed by age. Tongue tumors were more frequent in younger patients, while floor-of-mouth and mandibular tumors predominated among older patients.

The authors concluded that in surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinoma, prognosis is determined primarily by tumor characteristics, not by patient age, a finding that can help clinicians interpret the rising concern over oral cancer in younger adults.

Sources:
Oral Diseases, “Clinicopathological Characteristics and Survival in Young Adults With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study,” July 14, 2026 (DOI 10.1111/odi.70432): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42447131

Age Alone Did Not Worsen Oral Cancer Prognosis, Cohort Study Finds



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