SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE LIP AND ORAL CAVITY IN THE NETHERLANDS- AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF 740 PATIENTS

The epidemiological data of 740 patients with primary squamous cell ca rcinoma (SCC) of the lips or oral cavity is reported. The mean age was 63 years. The mean onset of oral cancer in women was 7 years later th an in men. Patients under the age of 40 years were mainly males. The m ale-to-female ratio ranged from 8.3 for the lower lip to 0.9 for the u pper alveolar ridge with an overall ratio of 1.8. In the case of multi ple oral SCCs the tongue was the most frequently affected site. No sig nificant association was found between the age or gender of patients a nd the size of the tumour. However, a significant association was obse rved between the site and size of the tumour. Lesions of the lower lip had a significantly smaller size than tumours of other sites. Further more, a linear trend could be observed between the size of the tumour and the clinical stage of the neck.