CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 10 (UPI) -- Oral tongue cancer in white U.S. females ages 18-44 increased by 111 percent in the last three decades, researchers said.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found from 1975 to 2007 oral tongue cancer among white people ages 18-44 increased 67 percent but the incidence rate decreased for African-Americans and other racial groups.
Lead author Dr. Bhisham Chera of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine said historically, oral tongue cancer has been strongly associated with heavy tobacco and alcohol use.
Other epidemiological studies have shown that as smoking decreased, so did the incidence of oral tongue cancer, but oral tongue cancer has been increasing incidence in young whites, Chera said.
The researchers analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database and found that from 1975 and 2007, the overall incidence for all ages, genders and races of the disease was decreasing.
"Our findings suggest that the epidemiology of this cancer in young white females may be unique and that the causative factors may be things other than tobacco and alcohol abuse," Chera said in a statement.
"Based on our observations and the published data, it appears that these cases may not be associated with the human papilloma virus. We are actively researching other causes of this cancer in this patient population."
The oral tongue is defined as the part that extends back to a V-shaped group of lumps on the back of the tongue, just in front of the base of the tongue.
