Demographic, tumor and treatment factors of oral/oropharyngeal cancer in Alberta, Canada

Introduction

Oral and oropharyngeal cancers have high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Distinct differ- ences exist between oropharyngeal and oral cancers; the former increasing in incidence and the later decreas- ing. The aim of this study was to determine demographic profiles, tumor characteristics and treatment factors of oral/oropharyngeal cancer in the adult population of Alberta, Canada.

Methods/materials

Information regarding oral/oropharyngeal cancer incidence in Alberta residents older than 18 years from 2005-2017 was extracted from the Alberta Cancer Registry database. Demographic factors included gen- der, diagnosis age, diagnosis date, age at death, vital status, death cause and geographic zone diagnosis. Tumor factors included location/site, morphology, histologic grade and clinical stage. Treatment modality was examined. Descriptive statistics was done using SPSS.

Results

4069 oral/oropharyngeal cancer cases were identified. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 62.1 (13.3) years. 53.5% of diagnoses were made between 46-65 years of age, and 68.5% of patients were male. The number of reported oral cancer cases increased from 231 in 2005 to 398 in 2017. Most common cancer sites were tonsil (20%), tongue (19.1%), and base of tongue (15.8%). 78.6% of tumors were squamous cell carcinoma and variants and 39.1% of tumors were moderately-differentiated. 55.7% of cases were diagnosed at stage IV. Most common initial treatments were surgery (63.1%) and radiation (57.6%). As of 2017, 54.3% of patients in the study were reported alive. The main oral cancer-related deaths occurred in patients with tongue (13.9%), base of tongue (9.2%) and tonsil (9.1%) cancers.

Conclusions

There was a higher incidence of oral cancer in older males. Diagnoses were made at advanced stages. Higher mortality was associated with locations/sites that are difficult to examine. These findings are similar to other jurisdictions and support the need for early detection through screening examinations, increased awareness of oral/oropharyngeal cancer and earlier access to care.