PATTERNS OF ORAL AND PHARYNGEAL CANCER INCIDENCE IN NEW-SOUTH-WALES, AUSTRALIA

Incidence and mortality rates for oral and pharyngeal cancers have bee n reported to be increasing in Europe and the United States, with part icularly large increases in mortality in central and eastern Europe. S uch increases have been noted to be birth cohort-based, primarily affe cting young and middle-aged men. In this report oral and pharyngeal ca ncer incidence data from New South Wales. Australia has been analysed for the period 1972-90. Although an increase in the incidence of oral and pharyngeal cancer occurred during the mid-1970s and early 1980s, i t did not continue. This pattern is consistent with Australian trends in per capita consumption of tobacco, alcohol, fruit and vegetables. I ndividual regions within metropolitan Sydney showed substantial geogra phical variation with age-specific rates of oral and pharyngeal cancer s (combined) in middle-aged men being at least three times higher in t he city of Sydney than in New South Wales as a whole. Given the preven table nature of the disease, such high rates need not occur.