Epidemiological Characteristics of Head and Neck Cancers in Southeast of Iran

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological aspects of malignant tumors of head and neck in southeast of Iran, with a view toward analyzing the age, gender and site distribution and histological types. METHODS: All cases with malignant tumor of the head and neck region from 1999 to 2009 were retrieved from the records of cancer registry center of Kerman University of medical sciences and all pathology laboratories of Kerman province. RESULTS: A total of 1604 cases were recruited during the study period. The mean age of patients was 53.03 years (standard deviation: 17.18, range: 2 to 95 years). Patients with a diagnosis of carcinoma were older than those with sarcoma and lymphoma (p<0.01). 18.4% of patients were below the age of 41 years. The overall male to female ratio was 2.74:1. Larynx was the most commonly affected site (46.76%) followed by oral cavity (15.9%). Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common diagnoses (77.5%), followed by lymphoma (9.4%). CONCLUSION: The higher incidence of laryngeal cancer in the head and neck region in southeast of Iran is in agreement with findings of the other parts of Iran. Also, occurrence of head and neck cancer under 41 year olds is greater than what is reported for some countries.