18. Epidemiology and prevention of head and neck cancers and skin cancers

Head and neck

• Epidemiology
  • Explosive growth in incidence of head and neck tumors in 20th century
  • Accounts for 3% of cancers in Western world
  • Male > female
• Etiology
  • Smoking
  • High alcohol intake
  • “Smokeless” tobacco
  • Poor oral hygiene
  • Oral infections
  • HPV 16, 18
• Prognosis
  • Death rate 4x increase in last 30 years in hungary
  • 5-year survival 20%
• Prevention
  • Stop smoking
  • Improve oral hygiene
  • HPV vaccination

Non-melanoma skin cancer

• Epidemiology
  • Non-melanoma incidence increasing
  • Male > female
  • More common than melanoma
  • Highest incidence in Australia, US, Europe
  • Lowest in dark-skinned populations
• Etiology
  • Sun exposure
  • Tanning beds
  • Skin types I and II
    • Light skin
    • Blue eyes
    • Blond hair
    • Easily sunburnt
  • Arsenic exposure
• Prognosis
  • 5-year survival almost 100%
• Prevention
  • Sunscreen
  • Clothes in the sun
  • Don’t do tanning beds

Melanoma

• Epidemiology
  • Only 2% of cancer incidence
• Etiology
  • Sun exposure
    • Especially sunburn in childhood
  • Tanning bed
  • Congenital nevi
  • Skin types I and II
    • Light skin
    • Blue eyes
    • Blond hair
    • Easily sunburnt
• Prognosis
  • Vary variable depending on stage at diagnosis
  • 5-year survival
    • T1 > 90%
    • N1, M0 20 – 40%
    • M1 < 5%
• Prevention
  • Sunscreen
  • Clothes in the sun
  • Don’t do tanning beds