Oral Cancers in Young Non-smokers Attributed to Immunodeficiency

Given the growing instances of young non-smokers (YNS) developing oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC), a pathbreaking study has sought to probe deep into the cause-effect phenomenon. The findings suggest that poor YNS oncological outcomes and inadequately defined etiology could be related to an impaired immune system. Younger, non-smoking oral cancer patients have a higher risk of death compared to young smokers, and the outcomes may be partially related to immune deficiencies.?

The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is a surrogate marker for a patient's immune function. A high ratio indicates an impaired immune function, implying an inability to identify and eliminate abnormal cells that are potentially cancer causing. How and why this happens is yet not known.

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