Characteristics and outcomes of young patients with laryngeal cancer: National hospital‐based retrospective cohort analysis

Abstract Background The relative incidence of laryngeal cancer is rising in young patients, yet their characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes relative to older patients are poorly understood. Methods Retrospective cohort analysis of the National Cancer Database from 2006 to 2015. Results Among 25 029 total patients, 923 (3.7%) were young (<45 years old) and 3266 underwent tumor HPV testing. Compared to older patients, a greater proportion of young patients were female (30.3%, 23.3%; p < 0.001) and seen with high‐risk HPV‐positive tumors (29.9%, 12.4%; p < 0.001). In subset analyses of young patients, females with higher income (≥$38 000) exhibited a decreased risk of overall mortality compared to all other sex‐income subcategories (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.25–0.72). In subset analyses of patients of all ages with known tumor HPV status, patients with high‐risk HPV‐positive tumors exhibited a reduced risk of all‐cause mortality (aHR: 0.74, 95%CI: 0.60–0.92, p = 0.007). Conclusion The interdependent associations between age, sex, tumor HPV status, and income on laryngeal cancer outcomes warrant further investigation.