Reviewing the epidemiology of head and neck cancer: definitions, trends and risk factors

🤖 Plain-English Summary

Introduction Head and neck cancer appears to be increasing in incidence, with potential changes in aetiology proposed. Mortality rates over the last decade have also started to rise, reflecting the disease incidence and static survival rates.

🔑 Key Findings

• This paper aims to provide a narrative overview of the epidemiological literature to describe the disease burden and trends in terms of incidence and mortality both in the UK and globally and to review the evidence on current risk factors.Methods A search was performed on multiple databases (PubMed and Epistemonikos), applying filters to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses which investigated head and neck cancer incidence, mortality and risk factors.
• International and UK cancer registries and sources were searched for incidence and mortality data.Results Multiple definitions of head and neck cancer are employed in epidemiology.
• Globally, incidence rates have increased in recent decades, largely driven by oropharyngeal cancer.

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