[Incidence and age at onset of cancers of the mouth and oropharynx since 1960. The epidemiologic context in East Austria].

Between 1960 and 1987, a total of 709 carcinomas of the floor of the mouth, tongue and oropharynx (BOPC) were diagnosed at the first ENT Clinic of the University of Vienna (555 men, 154 women). Patients under 50 years of age increased steadily in number of proportion. Age-specific rates in men based on the actual population of eastern Austria showed a highly significant increase in younger patients and a slight decrease in older patients. Crude regional mortality increased considerably in men during the whole period, and in women since 1982. The evolution of age-specific mortality in men was similar to that of the incidence at our clinic. In women the increase affected all ages. The rate of tobacco and alcohol consumption of male patients between 1977 and 1983 was compared with that of patients with chronic otitis and hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Smoking and drinking rates were substantially higher in the BOPC group than in the otitis group, and their distribution differed from that of the hypopharyngeal cancer group: heavy consumption of both tobacco and alcohol was equally frequent, but smoking rates were lower and heavy drinking more frequent in the BOPC group. High consumption in BOPC patients was more common in patients under 60 years of age. The increasing incidence of the disease and the shift to younger patients may be linked with the alcohol component within the field of influence of combined tobacco and alcohol abuse.