title: Incidence and survival in patients with pharyngeal cancer in northern Finland.
abstract: A population-based survey was conducted in northern Finland in order to study the incidence rate and survival in patients with pharyngeal cancer diagnosed between 1986 to 1996. A total of 95 new patients with hypopharyngeal, oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal cancers were identified. The overall age-adjusted incidence rates (per 100,000 years) were 1.28 in men and 0.60 in women, giving an overall incidence rate of 0.89. Most of the tumours were diagnosed at stage IV, and the median disease-specific survival times were 27.6 months for the patients with oropharyngeal cancer, 13.5 months for nasopharyngeal cancer and 17.7 for hypopharyngeal cancer. The most important factors that were associated with a poor prognosis were stage IV in oropharyngeal [Hazard ratio (HR) 3.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97-13.92] and hypopharyngeal cancer (HR 3.99, CI 1.51-10.67) and age over 65 years in nasopharyngeal cancer (HR 9.28, CI 1.79-47.99).
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oulu, Box 22, 90029 Oys, Finland. petri.koivunen@ppshp.fi
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koivunen
authors.forename: Niko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rantala
authors.forename: Kalevi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hyrynkangas
authors.forename: Kalevi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jokinen
authors.forename: Olli-Pekka
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Alho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality*; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D015996:Survival Rate