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Are the demographics for squamous cell cancer in the head and neck changing in the United Kingdom?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2006

M A Hassan
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
V J Lund
Affiliation:
Institute of Laryngology and Otology, University College London, UK
D J Howard
Affiliation:
Institute of Laryngology and Otology, University College London, UK
A A Sacker
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK.

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is well known to be more common in men than women. Smoking and alcohol are the key risk factors causing such malignancies and there are several publications which have suggested that the prevalence of these diseases is increasing more in women than in men in western countries due to increased smoking and alcohol use.

We collected our data at the Institute of Laryngology and Otology from the last 45 years and analysed the disease ratios in male to female patients in different sites within the head and neck. Our results revealed a decreasing male to female ratio, though this was not statistically significant. However, it draws attention to the increasing number of women with head and neck cancer, which may reflect their increasing use of cigarettes and alcohol.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
2006 JLO (1984) Limited

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