IADR Abstract Archives
Demographic, Tumor, Treatment Factors of Oral Cancer in Alberta, Canada
Objectives: This retrospective study aimed to explore the demographic profile, tumor characteristics and treatment factors of oral cancer patients in the general adult population of Alberta, Canada.
Methods: Information regarding oral cancer incidence in Alberta residents over the age of 18 years from 2005-2017 was extracted from the Alberta Cancer Registry database. Demographic factors included gender, diagnosis age, diagnosis date, age at death, vital status, cause of death, and geographic-zone diagnosis. Tumor factors included location/site, morphology, histologic grade and clinical stage. Treatment modality was also obtained. Descriptive statistics were carried out using SPSS.
Results: A total of 3865 oral cancer cases were identified. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 62.1 (13.3) years. 53.2% of the diagnoses were made between 46-65 years of age, and 68% of patients were male. Multiple oral tumors/cancers occurred in 3.1% of patients. The number of reported oral cancer cases increased from 222 in 2005 to 368 in 2017. Clinically, the most common cancer sites were tonsil (21.1%), tongue (20.2%), and base of tongue (16.6%). Histologically, 83.1% of tumors were squamous cell carcinoma and variants and 39.5% of tumors were moderately differentiated. 54.4% of cases were diagnosed at stage IV. Most common initial treatments were surgery (64.7%) and radiation (56.9%). As of 2017, only 55.6% of patients in the study were reported alive. The main oral cancer-related deaths occurred in patients with tongue (14.5%) and base of tongue (9.9%) cancers.
Conclusions: There was a higher incidence of oral cancer in males. More often, these cases were diagnosed in older individuals and at a late stage. These findings are similar to other jurisdictions and support the need for early detection through screening examinations, increased awareness of oral/oropharyngeal cancer and earlier access to care.
Methods: Information regarding oral cancer incidence in Alberta residents over the age of 18 years from 2005-2017 was extracted from the Alberta Cancer Registry database. Demographic factors included gender, diagnosis age, diagnosis date, age at death, vital status, cause of death, and geographic-zone diagnosis. Tumor factors included location/site, morphology, histologic grade and clinical stage. Treatment modality was also obtained. Descriptive statistics were carried out using SPSS.
Results: A total of 3865 oral cancer cases were identified. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 62.1 (13.3) years. 53.2% of the diagnoses were made between 46-65 years of age, and 68% of patients were male. Multiple oral tumors/cancers occurred in 3.1% of patients. The number of reported oral cancer cases increased from 222 in 2005 to 368 in 2017. Clinically, the most common cancer sites were tonsil (21.1%), tongue (20.2%), and base of tongue (16.6%). Histologically, 83.1% of tumors were squamous cell carcinoma and variants and 39.5% of tumors were moderately differentiated. 54.4% of cases were diagnosed at stage IV. Most common initial treatments were surgery (64.7%) and radiation (56.9%). As of 2017, only 55.6% of patients in the study were reported alive. The main oral cancer-related deaths occurred in patients with tongue (14.5%) and base of tongue (9.9%) cancers.
Conclusions: There was a higher incidence of oral cancer in males. More often, these cases were diagnosed in older individuals and at a late stage. These findings are similar to other jurisdictions and support the need for early detection through screening examinations, increased awareness of oral/oropharyngeal cancer and earlier access to care.
