Baseline data of oral and pharyngeal cancer before introducing an oral cancer prevention campaign in Germany

OBJECTIVES: Oral and pharyngeal cancer is still a serious health problem with an annual incidence of about 13,000 in Germany. This study aimed at describing trends of incidence and mortality in Germany by age, sex, and sub-site as a baseline for an oral cancer prevention campaign.

METHODS: Using data from the National Association of Population-based Cancer Registries, incidence rates for oral and pharyngeal cancer (ICD-10, C00-C14) from 2003 to 2011 and mortality rates from 1990 to 2012 were analysed by age, sex, and sub-site (C00-C06, C07-C08, C09-C14). Trends were described by annual percentage changes.

RESULTS: Men are 2.5-times more likely than women to be diagnosed and 3-times more likely to die from this tumour. Incidence and mortality in women increased slightly during the last decade, while incidence and mortality in men remained stable at a high level. While a decline was observed for younger age groups, an increase was seen in the elderly. For some sub-sites a deviation from this overall pattern was observed.

CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in this tumour in younger age groups is pleasing and may be attributed to public efforts in non-smoker protection in recent years. Further efforts are needed to counteract the increasing burden of disease in older age groups and in men.