Clinical-epidemiological profile of infantile-juvenile head and neck cancer: a descriptive hospital-based study

Pires, Alessandra Laís Pinho Valente; Alves, Lísia Daltro Borges; Ouro, Dawid Vinicius Rios do; Oliveira, Samille Marques Fontoura de; Almeida, Cristiane Brandão Santos; Silva, Adriana Mendonça da; Freitas, Valéria Souza

doi:10.1590/1984-0462/2025/43/2023205

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Original Article • Rev. paul. pediatr. 43 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/2025/43/2023205 linkcopy

Clinical-epidemiological profile of infantile-juvenile head and neck cancer: a descriptive hospital-based study

Perfil clínico-epidemiológico do câncer de cabeça e pescoço infanto-juvenil: um estudo descritivo de base hospitalar

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Objective: To describe the clinical-epidemiological profile of infantile-juvenile individuals diagnosed with head and neck cancer in Northeast Brazil from 1985 to 2017.

Methods: Descriptive study based on data collected from the Brazilian Hospital Cancer Registry System. This study included all individuals diagnosed with head and neck cancer, aged between zero and 19 years, with records in the Federative Units of Northeast Brazil, from 1985 to 2017. The collected variables included sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, and tumor’s clinical characteristics. Frequency tables with respective percentages were used for qualitative variables while descriptive measures such as mean and standard deviation were adopted for quantitative variables. Data were descriptively analyzed using the software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results: There were 500 cases of pediatric head and neck cancer, with more cases registered in Bahia (31.8%). The mean age of the individuals was 13.7±4.3 years. The majority were male (58.0%), non-white (80.4%), with incomplete elementary education (57.8%), and without a partner (94.2%). Most of them were non-smokers (70.3%), non-alcohol consumers (68.6%), and did not have a family history of cancer (66.8%). The most frequent histological type was squamous cell carcinoma (32.1%). Tumors were predominantly located in the nasopharynx (52.4%), staged as T4 (36.3%), N0 (40.7%), and M0 (90.9%).

Conclusions: Cases of head and neck cancer in the infantile-juvenile population were predominantly found in individuals from Bahia, male, aged between 12 and 16 years, of non-white ethnicity, incomplete elementary education degree, without a partner, non-smokers, non-drinkers, and without a family history of cancer. The most affected anatomical region was the nasopharynx, with the most frequent histological type being squamous cell carcinoma.

Keywords:
Squamous cell carcinoma; Risk factors; Kids; Teenagers

Variable		n	%
Age (years) (n=500)
	0≥5	32	6.4
	6≥11	101	20.2
	12≥16	199	39.8
	17≥19	168	33.6
Sex (n=500)
	Male	290	58.0
	Female	210	42.0
Race/Ethnicity (n=428)*
	Non-white	344	80.4
Educational level (n=344)†
	Illiterate	21	6.1
	Elementary education (incomplete)	199	57.8
	Elementary education (complete)	71	20.6
	High school (complete)	50	14.5
	Undergraduate degree (incomplete)	2	0.6
	Undergraduate degree (complete)	1	0.3
Civil status (n=450)‡
	Without partner	424	94.2
Smoking (n=316)§
	Smoker	19	6.0
	Non-smoker	222	70.3
	Not applicable	75	23.7
Alcohol consumption(n=318)//
	Yes	24	7.5
	No	218	68.6
	Not applicable	76	23.9
Family history of cancer (n=208)¶
	No	139	66.8

Histologic type (n=496)	n	%
Adenocarcinoma	15	3.0
Acinic cell carcinoma	13	2.6
Squamous cell carcinoma	159	32.1
Undifferentiated carcinoma	78	15.7
Lymphoepithelial carcinoma	35	7.1
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma	43	8.7
Carcinoma not specified	22	4.4
Burkitt lymphoma	16	3.2
Mature B-cell lymphoma	9	1.8
Hodgkin lymphoma	6	1.2
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma not specified	13	2.6
Histiocytosis neoplasia	5	1.0
Others*	13	2.6
Rhabdomyosarcoma	35	7.1
Fusocellular sarcoma	4	0.8
Undefined tumor	2	0.4
Unspecified malignant tumor	25	5.0
Malignant mixed tumor, salivary gland type	3	0.6

Variable		n	%
Primary tumor location (n=500)
	C00 Lip	7	1.4
	C02 Tongue	4	0.8
	C03 Gum	5	1.0
	C04 Floor of the mouth	6	1.2
	C05 Palate	32	6.4
	C06 Other and unspecified parts of mouth	22	4.4
	C07 Parotid gland	83	16.6
	C08 Other major salivary glands	20	4.0
	C09 Tonsil	15	3.0
	C10 Oropharynx	17	3.4
	C11 Nasopharynx	262	52.4
	C12 Pyriform sinus	1	0.2
	C13 Hypopharynx	2	0.4
	C14 Other and ill-defined sites in the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx	12	2.4
T Stage (n=171)*
	T1	26	15.2
	T2	43	25.1
	T3	40	23.4
	T4	62	36.3
N Stage (n=177)†
	N0	72	40.7
	N1	19	10.7
	N2	43	24.3
	N3	43	24.3
M Stage (n=165)‡
	M0	150	90.9
	M1	15	9.1

Variable		n	%
Treatment type (n=494)*
	Surgery	76	15.4
	Surgery and chemotherapy	36	7. 3
	Surgery and radiation therapy	29	5.9
	Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy	38	7.7
	None	40	8.1
	Other	7	1.4
	Chemotherapy	88	17.8
	Radiotherapy	72	14.6
	Radiation therapy and chemotherapy	107	21.7
	Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy	1	0.2
Survival status (n=500)
	Death	8	1.6
	Refusal of treatment	1	0.2
	Treatment performed outside	11	2.2
	Advanced disease, lack of clinical conditions, or other associated diseases	2	0.4
	Abandonment of treatment	2	0.4
	Other reasons	35	7.0
	Alive	411	82.2
	No information	30	6.0

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[T1FN2] ^†
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[T1FN3] ^‡
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