Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Adolescents and Young Adults: Survivorship Patterns and Disparities

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) head and neck cancer (HNC) patients require longer term follow-ups as they age; yet, little is known about factors associated with survivorship in this population. We aimed to describe nonclinical factors associated with HNC survivorship among AYAs.

In this retrospective cohort study, the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results 18 database from 2007 to 2014 was queried. Eligible cases were 15-39-year-old primary HNC patients with known cause of death (n = 1777). Kaplan-Meier survival curves stratified by age group (15-29, 30-34, and 35-39) and by health insurance status tested differences in HNC survival among groups with a log-rank test. Variables, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, county-level poverty, anatomic site, stage, and treatment, were controlled for in a competing risk proportional hazards model.

Patients were mostly male (64%), with mean age of 33.4 years. Survival rate was 73% after 8 years of follow-up. There were no significant survival differences based on age at diagnosis. However, AYAs who were on Medicaid (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-2.12) or uninsured (aHR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.03-2.21), had an increased hazard of death from HNC, compared with those with private insurance.

Health insurance status is the main nonclinical factor associated with survival among AYAs with HNC, and individuals with Medicaid do not fare better than the uninsured. With a potential longer term follow-up in this AYA population, there is need to optimize survivorship irrespective of health insurance status.