Cancers were classified by ICD-9 up to 1998 and by ICD-10 from 1999 onwards. Rates were age-adjusted using the Australian population as at 30 June 2001. Numbers for 2004 include an estimate of the small numbers of deaths that were registered in 2005, data for which were unavailable at the time of production.
Source:
NSW Central Cancer Registry incidence data, ABS mortality data and population estimates (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health.
Cancers included in this category were cancers of the tongue, mouth and salivary gland. The main risk factors for oral cancer are tobacco smoking, excessive drinking and poor oral hygiene. Up to 90% of oral cancers occur in heavy smokers and drinkers. The human papillomavirus has been implicated in a small proportion of cases involving younger people (Rose et al., 2004).
In 2004, 417 people were diagnosed with oral cancer (60% males) in NSW, compared to 283 people in 1985 (Tracey et al., 2006). There were 101 deaths (60% males) in 2004, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics mortality data. The NSW Central Cancer Registry (CCR) reports different figures: 145 deaths (93 in males and 52 in females). Generally the CCR figures for cancer are more reliable than the ABS cancer data, because the CCR data is verified against the histopathological reports for each case, while the ABS data is sourced only from the information on death certificates. ABS mortality data is used in this report to allow comparisons to be made between different diseases.
Oral cancer accounted for 1.2% of total new cancers, and 0.8% of cancer deaths in NSW in 2004.
The age-standardised incidence rate for oral cancers in males was 8.3 in 1985 and 7.4 per 100,000 population in 2004. In the 20-year period, the maximum rate was 10.3 per 100,000 population in 1986. The incidence rate for females was 4.3 per 100,000 population in 2004 and it was less than half the male incidence rate throughout most of the period from 1985 to 2004. The female rate peaked in 1998 at 4.8 per 100,000 population.
The death rate in males decreased steadily from 4.3 in 1985 to 1.8 per 100,000 population in 2004. The death rate for females also fell, from 1.4 to 1.0 per 100,000 population between 1985 and 2004.
Rose BR, Wei Li and O’Brien CJ. Human papillomavirus: a cause of some head and neck cancers? MJA 2004; 181 (8): 415-416.
Tracey E, Chen S, Baker D, Bishop J, Jelfs P.Cancer in NSW: Incidence and mortality 2004. Sydney: Cancer Institute NSW, 2006. Available at www.cancer institute.org.au
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Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales -
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