Head and Neck Cancer in a Brazilian Public Hospital: Patients' Profile

Objectives: The prevalence of head and neck cancer has been increasing in Brazil in the last decade. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological profile of patients with head and neck cancer attending a public hospital in Vitória/ES, Brazil.
Methods: Interviews were conducted with 97 patients concerning age, gender, tumor site, tobacco/alcohol consumption and oral health conditions in the first appointment at Santa Rita Hospital. The research project was approved by the Ethical Committee on Human Subjects at CIAS/Unimed, Vitoria/ES and CONEP under registration number 16.525/2011.
Results: Most patients were male (84.5%), the mean age was 58.2 for men, 60.7 for women and 20.6% were illiterate. The male to female ratio for oral cancer was 5.5:1. The majority (86.6%) were active smokers and 85.6% were alcohol users. The mean age to begin smoking addiction was 15 years old. The most common site location of the cancer was the tongue (26.8%), followed by oropharynx (22.7%), larynx (19.6%), mouth floor (11.3%), retromolar area (6.2%) and lips (5.1%). In relation to staging, only 16.5% were stage 0 or I and most of them (30.1%) were stage IVa. In relation to oral conditions, 43.3% had removable dentures and 11.3% were edentulous.
Conclusions: Tobacco and alcohol consumption is elevated in this population and are the main risk factors for head and neck cancer. Preventive measures on tobacco and alcohol must be implemented to awareness people and to reduce the numbers of head and neck cancers in Brazil.