Journal Article

Trends in Incidence of Cancers of the Oral Cavity and Pharynx — United States 2007–2016

Singh, Simple, Senkomago, Virginia, Richardson, Lisa C., Henley, S. Jane, Wilson, Reda J., Ellington, Taylor D., Thomas, Cheryll C., O’Neil, Mary Elizabeth, Wu, Manxia

2020

Overview

Cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx account for 3% of cancers diagnosed in the United States* each year. Cancers at these sites can differ anatomically and histologically and might have different causal factors, such as tobacco use, alcohol use, and infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) (1). Incidence of combined oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers declined during the 1980s but began to increase around 1999 (2,3). Because tobacco use has declined in the United States, accompanied by a decrease in incidence of many tobacco-related cancers, researchers have suggested that the increase in oral cavity and pharynx cancers might be attributed to anatomic sites with specific cell types in which HPV DNA is often found (4,5). U.S. Cancer Statistics data were analyzed to examine trends in incidence of cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx by anatomic site, sex, race/ethnicity, and age group. During 2007-2016, incidence rates increased for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx combined, base of tongue, anterior tongue, gum, tonsil, oropharynx, and other oral cavity and pharynx. Incidence rates declined for cancers of the lip, floor of mouth, soft palate and uvula, hard palate, hypopharynx, and nasopharynx, and were stable for cancers of the cheek and other mouth and salivary gland. Ongoing implementation of proven population-based strategies to prevent tobacco use initiation, promote smoking cessation, reduce excessive alcohol use, and increase HPV vaccination rates might help prevent cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx.

• Publisher: U.S. Government Printing Office,U.S. Center for Disease Control,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subject: Adult / Age groups / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Alcohol use / Cancer / Cancer research / Cigarette smoking / Deoxyribonucleic acid / Disease prevention / DNA / Drinking (Alcoholic beverages) / Drug addiction / Ethnicity / Female / Full Report / Health aspects / Hispanic people / Human papillomavirus / Humans / Immunization / Incidence / Infection / Infections / Male / Middle Aged / Minority & ethnic groups / Mouth / Mouth Neoplasms - epidemiology / Mouth Neoplasms - ethnology / Oral cancer / Oral cavity / Papillomavirus / Papillomavirus infections / Pharyngeal Neoplasms - epidemiology / Pharyngeal Neoplasms - ethnology / Pharyngeal structures / Pharynx / Population / Population growth / Race / Risk Factors / Smoking / Smoking cessation / Statistics / Tobacco / Trends / United States - epidemiology / Vaccination / White people / Young Adult