Epidemiology of oral and pharyngeal cancers: A retrospective study in ‎Kermanshah, Iran

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and relative frequency of oral and pharyngeal cancers in Kermanshah, Iran, from March 1993 until March 2006.METHODS: The data used in this epidemiologic study were extracted directly from pathology records registered in 12 (all) public and private pathology centers of Kermanshah province during the 13-year study period. The medical data of 13,323 cases of cancer were studied.RESULTS: During the 13-year period of this study, 350 new malignant cases occurred in the oral cavity and pharynx. 247 (70%) were men and 103 (30%) were women. The mean age for oral and pharyngeal cancers was 57 [standard deviation (SD) = 17.09] with male to female ratio 2.39:1. The most common oral and pharyngeal cancers were squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with 283 patients. 211 (74.6%) of the patients were men and 72 (25.4%) of them were women; the mean age of SCC was 60 (SD = 16) with male to female ratio 2.93:1. The two most common sites of involvement were lips [166 (47.5%)] and tongue [25 (7.14%)]. The overall incidence rate of oral and pharyngeal cancers was 1.47 per 100000 populations.CONCLUSION: In summary, the incidence risk of oral and pharyngeal cancers in people living in Kermanshah province is similar to the most other provinces of Iran. However, this study showed that the rank of oral and pharyngeal cancers among males (9th most common cancer) is low when compared to other regions of Iran and other countries such as India, Australia, and France.