Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue in young non-smokers is genomically similar to tumors in older patients with a history of smoking

Background: Epidemiological studies have identified increasing incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (SCCOT) in younger patients. The causes for this increasing incidence are unknown. These tumors often occur in non-smoking women and are not HPV-related. This is in contrast to older SCCOT patients who are usually male smokers. We hypothesize that this epidemiologically distinct disease will also be genomically distinct, especially with respect to alterations caused by tobacco smoke.