Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Basque Country (Spain) is one of the European regions with the highest incidence of oral and oropharyngeal cancer, which still shows an unacceptably poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to update the epidemiological and prognostic data on oral cancer in the Basque Country and to analyse its evolution with respect to a previous study carried out in 1986-1994. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study included all cases diagnosed with oral and oropharyngeal cancer in the Basque Country from 2012 to 2017, obtained from the Cancer Population Registry. Descriptive analysis of the epidemiological data on oral-oropharyngeal cancer and survival analysis of oral squamous cell carcinoma were performed. RESULTS: A total of 1,762 cases of oral-oropharyngeal cancer were analysed. The crude incidence was 7.21 cases in women and 18.07 in men. We recognised an increase in females, older patients and gingival neoplasms. Squamous cell carcinomas accounted for 92.6% of the tumours, with 70.4% affecting males, 91.8% living in urban areas, and 50.2% diagnosed at advanced stages. The overall 5-year survival rate for oral-oropharyngeal cancer in the Basque Country was 50.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Oral and oropharyngeal cancer incidence in the Basque Country has decreased overall, although it shows a progressive increase in women, older people and tumours located in the gingiva. The prognosis of oral cancer in the Basque Country is still very poor, thus it is necessary to implement specific preventive and diagnostic protocols to improve it.