Oral cancer rates have increased approximately 15% from the mid 1970s until the latest (2004) National Cancer Institute Survey. There are significant disparities in some population groups, with higher rates of increase in minority men.
Table 1 presents oral cancer incidence rates for adult men and women of all age groups and for selected racial and ethnic groups.
Oral Cancer Incidence (Table 1)
- Overall, 10.5 adults per 100,000 will develop oral cancer.
- Oral cancer rates are significantly higher for males than for females.
- Oral cancer rates are higher for Hispanic and Black males than for White males.
- Oral cancer rates increase with age. The increase becomes more rapid after age 50 and peaks between ages 60 and 70.
Table 1: Oral Cancer Incidence by Age, Race, and Gender
| Race | Gender | All Ages | 0 to 19 | 20 to 29 | 30 to 39 | 40 to 49 | 50 to 59 | 60 to 69 | 70 to 79 | 80+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Races | All | 10.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 8.7 | 21.7 | 33.9 | 40.2 | 40.0 |
| All Races | Male | 15.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 12.7 | 33.8 | 51.9 | 58.9 | 59.4 |
| All Races | Female | 6.1 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 4.7 | 10.2 | 17.9 | 26.0 | 29.4 |
| White | All | 10.6 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 8.5 | 21.8 | 34.7 | 41.7 | 41.2 |
| White | Male | 15.7 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 12.5 | 33.8 | 52.7 | 60.7 | 62.0 |
| White | Female | 6.1 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 4.4 | 10.1 | 18.4 | 27.0 | 30.0 |
| Black | All | 10.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 10.2 | 25.9 | 35.8 | 37.0 | 27.6 |
| Black | Male | 17.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 14.6 | 43.2 | 61.0 | 61.6 | 43.4 |
| Black | Female | 5.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 6.2 | 11.3 | 16.2 | 20.5 | 19.5 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | All | 7.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 6.6 | 17.5 | 28.9 | 22.6 | 16.6 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | Male | 9.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.1 | 8.8 | 24.7 | 39.5 | 29.0 | 15.2 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | Female | 5.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 4.6 | 10.9 | 19.7 | 17.4 | 18.5 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | All | 7.9 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 8.1 | 15.0 | 23.4 | 25.1 | 31.2 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | Male | 10.9 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 11.5 | 21.8 | 34.4 | 36.0 | 35.6 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | Female | 5.5 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 9.1 | 14.2 | 17.2 | 28.2 |
| Hispanic | All | 6.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 4.4 | 11.4 | 20.1 | 25.4 | 27.8 |
| Hispanic | Male | 9.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 6.1 | 17.3 | 32.9 | 38.7 | 39.7 |
| Hispanic | Female | 3.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 5.9 | 9.2 | 15.6 | 20.9 |
| White Hispanic | All | 6.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 4.6 | 11.7 | 20.4 | 25.6 | 28.2 |
| White Hispanic | Male | 9.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 6.3 | 17.7 | 33.4 | 38.8 | 40.3 |
| White Hispanic | Female | 3.7 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 6.0 | 9.4 | 15.7 | 21.2 |
| White Non-Hispanic | All | 11.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 9.4 | 23.5 | 36.8 | 43.6 | 42.3 |
| White Non-Hispanic | Male | 16.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 14.1 | 36.5 | 55.4 | 63.2 | 63.9 |
| White Non-Hispanic | Female | 6.5 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 10.8 | 19.8 | 28.4 | 30.7 |
Source: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program
* Stat Database: Incidence - SEER 17 Regs Limited-Use + Hurricane Katrina Impacted Louisiana Cases, Nov 2008 Sub (2000-2006), National Cancer Institute, DCCPS, Surveillance Research Program, Cancer Statistics Branch, released April 2009, based on the November 2008 submission.
Notes:
- Statistics were generated from malignant cases only.
- Rates are expressed as cases per 100,000.
- Statistics are provided by the SEER Program for research purposes only.
- Hispanic and Non-Hispanic are not mutually exclusive from White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander.
- Statistics for Hispanics and Non-Hispanics are based on NHIA and do not include cases from the Alaska Natives and Kentucky registries.
- Statistics for American Indians/Alaska Natives only include cases from the Contract Health Service Delivery Area (CHSDA) counties.
- Due to the impact of Hurricane Katrina on Louisiana's population for the July - December 2005 time period, Louisiana cases diagnosed for that six-month time period have been excluded from these statistics.
Last Reviewed
July 2018