Mortalidad por cáncer oral y faríngeo en Chile, años 2002-2010

There are several types of oral and pharyngeal cancer, with the most frequent being squamous cell carcinoma (90%). It is more common in men, in adulthood. It is associated with multiple risk factors, mainly smoking and alcohol consumption.

Objective

To describe mortality due to oral and pharyngeal cancer in Chile between 2002 and 2010.

Method

Ecological study. The data obtained from death certificates from the Department of Health Statistics and Information, Ministry of Health of Chile and were analyzed according to anatomical location, sex, age, education level, and area of urban/rural residence.

Results

The mortality rate in the period studied ranged from 1.11 to 1.25 per 100000 inhabitants. The male:female ratio ranged from 2.3:1, with 50% mortality in women over 75 years-old, while in men it was 24.86%. Most cases (90.7%) lived in an urban area. A total of 54.61% of deaths occurred in people with basic/primary education level. Tongu cancer accounted for 17.7% of the deaths.

Conclusions

The mortality rate for oral and pharyngeal cancer in Chile remained stable throughout the study period, and was higher in men. The women died at an older age than men. The deaths were mostly in people with a lower educational level. The most common anatomical location was the tongue.