Lip cancer in South Australia, 1977-1996

Lip cancer (140 ICD-9, C00 ICD-10) is a form of oral cancer occurring at th e junction between the oral cavity and the skin. Lip cancer has a distincti ve global epidemiology that is notably different from cancer occurring at o ther intraoral sites. This study reviews and analyses the epidemiological d ata for lip cancer from the South Australian Central Cancer Registry betwee n 1977 and 1996. During this 20-year period, 2716 cases of lip cancer (2095 male, 621 female) and 35 deaths from this disease (23 males, 12 females) w ere reported. The average age of diagnosis was 58.3 years in males and 66.0 years in females. Very high age-standardised incidence rates (over 15.0 pe r 100 000 per annum in males and 4.0 per 100 000 per annum in females) were found, giving the South Australian population amongst the highest incidenc e of lip cancer in the world. Also of considerable concern was the finding that, contrary to global trends, these rates showed a significant increase over the 20-year period in both sexes. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed.