Cancer of the oral cavity occurs in individuals who neither smoke nor drink alcohol. We investigated the characteristics of patients who were never-smokers and never-drinkers (N-S/N-D) yet had oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The records of 100 patients treated for OSCC were evaluated. All patients underwent curative resection at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kanazawa University Hospital between 1989 and 2002. Of the 100 patients with OSCC, 47 described themselves as lifelong N-S/N-D.

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... Patients who were N-S/N-D were more commonly women and older persons compared with ones who were ever-smokers and/or ever-drinkers (E-S/E-D). The most frequent locations in N-S/N-D were tongue and alveolar ridge, but OSCC in floor of mouth and buccal mucosa, which was often found in E-S/ E-D patients, was scarcely found among N-S/N-D. In histopathological grading, mode of invasion and survival rate, there were no statistically significant differences. Of 30 patients with OSSC in N-S/N-D, 27 cases have given birth to at least one son. Our data were consistent with the previous reports from foreign countries. Birth status could be associated with a risk factor for OSCC in N-S/N-D patients because these patients were more commonly women.