title: Incidence of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers by anatomical sites in population-based registries in Puerto Rico and the United States of America.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Puerto Rico's (PR) epidemiological data on each oral cavity and pharynx cancer (OCPC) site is yet largely unexplored. Our aim was to compare OCPC incidence in PR, by anatomical site, with that of non-Hispanic whites (NHW), non-Hispanic blacks (NHB), and Hispanic (USH) individuals in the USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program and the PR Central Cancer Registry were collected and analyzed. Age-standardized rates, percent changes, and standardized rate ratios were estimated with 95% confidence intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although declining incidence rates were observed for most anatomical sites in most racial/ethnic groups and in both sexes, the incidence of oropharynx cancers slightly increased for cancers in the oropharynx among PR women, both in the base of tongue and soft palate/other oropharynx (p>0.05). The incidence of soft palate/other oropharynx cancers in PR men was about 2.8 times higher than in USH men (p<0.05) and about 1.4 times higher than in NHW men but 21% lower than in NHB men (p>0.05). Significant interactions terms formed with racial/ethnic group and age were shown in various sites. The largest differences between sexes were consistently noted in PR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further research in PR should assess the effect of the HPV infection, as well as of other risk factors, in OCPC incidence by anatomical site in younger populations. These data could explain more precisely the reasons for the differences observed in this study, particularly among sexes in PR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. erick.suarez@upr.edu
authors.forename: Erick
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suárez
authors.affiliation: Research Design, Biostatistics, and Clinical Research Ethics, Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. UPR/MDACC Partnership in Excellence in Cancer Research Program, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Elba C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Díaz-Toro
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas, School of Public Health, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Calo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bermúdez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Ana P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Ortiz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology; D010157:Palatal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018426:SEER Program / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American