Abstract
Purpose
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) incidence is increasing, and evidence suggests survival disparities between non-Hispanic (nH) black and white males. However, temporal changes in HNSCCs and factors contributing to survival differences have not been examined at the national level.
Methods
National Cancer Database (NCDB) cases were used to evaluate temporal trends in HNSCC anatomical sites and site groupings (i.e., oral cavity, oropharyngeal, non-oropharyngeal), and to estimate incidence ratios (IRs) comparing nH black and white males in demographic and clinical characteristics.
Results
Between 1998 and 2012, 18,443 (11 %) nH black males and 145,611 (89 %) nH white males were diagnosed with HNSCCs. Cases rose from 9094 diagnosed in 1998 to 13,838 in 2012, driven by increases in oropharyngeal tumors, particularly tumors of the tonsil and tongue. Annual percent changes in nH black males and nH white males were 1.93 and 3.17, respectively. Additionally, nH black males had higher incidence of the more aggressive non-oropharyngeal tumors (p < .0001) and distant-stage tumors (76 vs. 64 %, p < .0001). However, nH white males had higher incidence of high-risk HPV types (IRs range from 1.68, 95 % CI 1.50–1.88 in oropharyngeal tumors to 3.03, 95 % CI 1.11–8.25 in non-oropharyngeal tumors).
Conclusions
Incidence of oropharyngeal tumors has risen in both nH black and white males. However, nH white males have higher incidence of HPV, and nH black males have higher incidence of more aggressive and advanced HNSCCs. Racial differences in clinical characteristics associated with poorer survival exist, and future studies should determine factors associated with these differences.
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Notes
The CoC’s NCDB and the hospitals participating in the CoC NCDB are the source of the de-identified data used herein; they have not been verified and are not responsible for the statistical validity of the data analysis or the conclusions derived by the authors.
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Acknowledgments
Caryn E. Peterson: ACS RSG-13-380-01-CPHPS; Charlotte E. Joslin: ACS RSG-13-380-01-CPHPS, NIH R25 5R25CA057699; Marian L Fitzgibbon: NIH R25 5R25CA057699; Kent Hoskins: NCI 2P50CA106743.
Funding
This study was funded by the American Cancer Society (ACS RSG-13-380-01-CPHPS).
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Peterson, C.E., Khosla, S., Chen, L.F. et al. Racial differences in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas among non-Hispanic black and white males identified through the National Cancer Database (1998–2012). J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 142, 1715–1726 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-016-2182-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-016-2182-8