Shifting Epidemiology Trends in Tongue Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Tongue cancer typically has male predominance. However, several studies have documented an increasing number of incidences among the younger population, with female predominance, which is unusual. Current trends in tongue cancer and possible risk factors require more investigation. The global epidemiological trends in tongue cancer have shifted toward more incidences in younger and female groups. Our study confirms the same findings regarding the younger age group. However, in our locality, no significant changes have been noted regarding gender. More multi-institutional studies are recommended to explain such changes and highlight the possible risk factors so that appropriate corrective actions can be taken into consideration. The tongue is the most common site for oral cavity carcinoma. It typically has male predominance. However, several studies have documented an increasing number of incidences among the younger population, with female predominance, which is unusual. In this study, we aimed to determine current trends in tongue cancer regarding age and gender. Data from 197 tongue cancer patients were extracted from The Oncology Center, Mansoura University (OCMU) database from 2006 to 2021. The patients were divided into two time periods: (2006-2013) and (2014-2021). We computed counts and proportions of tongue cancer for demographic and tumor characteristics. The data were analyzed using SPSS. Gender showed no statistically significant difference in both groups, while the percentages of diagnosed females were 52.7% and 52%, respectively. The percentages of males were 47.3% and 48%, p-value = 0.927. There was a statistically significant difference in the number of patients aged 20 to 39 years old and >= 60 years old in both periods. The p-values were 0.039 and 0.011, respectively. Although tongue cancer is typically more common in males, our results showed no significant difference in the gender of diagnosed patients. In addition, our results showed that the number of younger patients significantly increased in the period from 2014 to 2021. However, we encourage further investigations involving larger populations.