More than 90% of tumors and tumor-like lesions in the oral cavity are benign.[1-4] Oral cavity cancer is extremely rare in children and adolescents.[5,6] According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program Stat Fact Sheets, only 0.4% of all cases are diagnosed in patients younger than 20 years. From 2017 to 2021, the age-adjusted incidence rate for this population was 0.2 cases per 100,000.[7]
The incidence of oral cavity and pharynx cancers has increased in adolescent and young adult females. This pattern is consistent with the national increase in orogenital sexual intercourse in younger females and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.[8] It is currently estimated that the prevalence of oral HPV infection in the United States is 6.9% in people aged 14 to 69 years and that HPV causes about 30,000 oropharyngeal cancers. Furthermore, from 1999 to 2008, the incidence rates for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer increased by 4.4% per year in White men and 1.9% in White women.[9-11] Current practices to increase HPV immunization rates in both boys and girls may reduce the burden of HPV-related cancers.[12,13] For more information about HPV vaccines and oral cavity cancer prevention, see Oral Cavity, Oropharyngeal, Hypopharyngeal, and Laryngeal Cancers Prevention.
Acquired conditions and genetic syndromes associated with the development of oral cavity and/or head and neck squamous cell carcinoma include the following:[1-8]
Benign odontogenic neoplasms of the oral cavity include odontoma and ameloblastoma. The most common nonodontogenic neoplasms of the oral cavity are fibromas, hemangiomas, vascular malformations, and papillomas. Tumor-like lesions of the oral cavity include granulomas and Langerhans cell histiocytosis.[1-4] For more information about Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the oral cavity, see the Oral cavity section in Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Treatment.
Malignant lesions of the oral cavity were found in 0.1% to 2% of a series of oral biopsies performed in children and 3% to 13% of oral tumor biopsies.[3-7] Malignant tumor types include lymphomas (especially Burkitt), sarcomas (including rhabdomyosarcoma and fibrosarcoma), and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Mucoepidermoid carcinomas of the oral cavity have also been reported in the pediatric and adolescent age groups.[5-8]
The prognosis for patients with oral cavity tumors varies based on histology and disease staging.
Review of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database identified 54 patients younger than 20 years with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) between 1973 and 2006. Pediatric patients with oral cavity SCC were more often female and had better survival than adult patients. When differences in patient, tumor, and treatment-related characteristics were adjusted for, the pediatric and adult groups experienced equivalent survival rates.[1][Level of evidence C1] Most tumors have a low or intermediate grade and are often cured with surgery alone.[1]; [2][Level of evidence C1] A retrospective study of the National Cancer Database identified 159 patients younger than 20 years with SCC of the head and neck. Of these tumors, 55% originated in the oral cavity, and patients with laryngeal tumors had a better survival rate than did those who presented with oral cavity primary tumors.[3]
A review of 102 intraoral mucoepidermoid carcinomas identified nine patients younger than 18 years. All patients were treated with surgical resection, and eight patients were disease free after a mean follow-up of 98.4 months. One patient died after developing recurrent disease 15 years after their initial treatment.[2]
Cancer in children and adolescents is rare, although the overall incidence has slowly increased since 1975.[1] Children and adolescents with cancer should be referred to medical centers that have a multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists with experience treating the cancers that occur during childhood and adolescence. This multidisciplinary team approach incorporates the skills of the following pediatric specialists and others to ensure that children receive treatment, supportive care, and rehabilitation to achieve optimal survival and quality of life:
For specific information about supportive care for children and adolescents with cancer, see the summaries on Supportive and Palliative Care.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has outlined guidelines for pediatric cancer centers and their role in the treatment of children and adolescents with cancer.[2] At these centers, clinical trials are available for most types of cancer that occur in children and adolescents, and the opportunity to participate is offered to most patients and their families. Clinical trials for children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer are generally designed to compare potentially better therapy with current standard therapy. Other types of clinical trials test novel therapies when there is no standard therapy for a cancer diagnosis. Most of the progress in identifying curative therapies for childhood cancers has been achieved through clinical trials. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Dramatic improvements in survival have been achieved for children and adolescents with cancer. Between 1975 and 2020, childhood cancer mortality decreased by more than 50%.[3-5] Childhood and adolescent cancer survivors require close monitoring because side effects of cancer therapy may persist or develop months or years after treatment. For information about the incidence, type, and monitoring of late effects in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors, see Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer.
Childhood cancer is a rare disease, with about 15,000 cases diagnosed annually in the United States in individuals younger than 20 years.[6] The U.S. Rare Diseases Act of 2002 defines a rare disease as one that affects populations smaller than 200,000 people in the United States. Therefore, all pediatric cancers are considered rare.
The designation of a rare tumor is not uniform among pediatric and adult groups. In adults, rare cancers are defined as those with an annual incidence of fewer than six cases per 100,000 people. They account for up to 24% of all cancers diagnosed in the European Union and about 20% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States.[7,8] In children and adolescents, the designation of a rare tumor is not uniform among international groups, as follows:
Most cancers in subgroup XI are either melanomas or thyroid cancers, with other cancer types accounting for only 2% of the cancers diagnosed in children aged 0 to 14 years and 9.3% of the cancers diagnosed in adolescents aged 15 to 19 years.
These rare cancers are extremely challenging to study because of the relatively few patients with any individual diagnosis, the predominance of rare cancers in the adolescent population, and the small number of clinical trials for adolescents with rare cancers.
Information about these tumors may also be found in sources relevant to adults with cancer, such as Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment.
Treatment options for childhood oral cavity cancer include the following:
The management of malignant tumors of the oral cavity depends on histology.[1] Most patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and intraoral mucoepidermoid carcinoma who were managed with surgery alone have a good prognosis and do not experience recurrences.[2-4] For more information, see Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the oral cavity may require treatment in addition to surgery. For more information, see Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Treatment.
Surgery is the primary treatment modality for benign oral cavity tumors.
Information about National Cancer Institute (NCI)–supported clinical trials can be found on the NCI website. For information about clinical trials sponsored by other organizations, see the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
This summary was comprehensively reviewed.
This summary is written and maintained by the PDQ Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board, which is editorially independent of NCI. The summary reflects an independent review of the literature and does not represent a policy statement of NCI or NIH. More information about summary policies and the role of the PDQ Editorial Boards in maintaining the PDQ summaries can be found on the About This PDQ Summary and PDQ® Cancer Information for Health Professionals pages.
This PDQ cancer information summary for health professionals provides comprehensive, peer-reviewed, evidence-based information about the treatment of childhood oral cavity cancer. It is intended as a resource to inform and assist clinicians in the care of their patients. It does not provide formal guidelines or recommendations for making health care decisions.
This summary is reviewed regularly and updated as necessary by the PDQ Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board, which is editorially independent of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The summary reflects an independent review of the literature and does not represent a policy statement of NCI or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Board members review recently published articles each month to determine whether an article should:
Changes to the summaries are made through a consensus process in which Board members evaluate the strength of the evidence in the published articles and determine how the article should be included in the summary.
The lead reviewers for Childhood Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment are:
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The preferred citation for this PDQ summary is:
PDQ® Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board. PDQ Childhood Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated <MM/DD/YYYY>. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/hp/child/oral-cavity-treatment-pdq. Accessed <MM/DD/YYYY>. [PMID: 26389315]
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