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7427408 
Journal Article 
Epidemiology and Aetiology of Head and Neck Cancers 
Johnson, NW; Amarasinghe, HK; , 
2016 
Springer International Publishing 
Cham 
Head and Neck Cancer 
1-57 
Malignant neoplasms of the head and neck are among the most common in the world and constitute a major public health problem in most countries. Over 90 % of these are squamous cell carcinomas arising in the mucous membranes of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT). Their epidemiology and aetiology are considered in detail. We separate nasopharyngeal cancer, because it has a specific aetiology related to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection and dietary carcinogens. We then add those sites with the common major risk factors of alcohol, tobacco (including betel quid/areca nut habits), poor dentition and diets poor in antioxidants and vitamins and an increasingly recognised role for human papillomavirus (HPV). By simplistically adding age-standardised rates together, collectively these UADT sites of the oral cavity (including the tongue), nasopharynx, other pharynx and larynx have a male incidence/mortality of 14.3/7.9 and for females of 4.4/2.3 cases per 100,000 pa. This ranks UADT cancer as the sixth most common site for men and eighth for women across the world. If the oesophagus were to be included as another alcohol- and tobacco-related cancer, the rates add to 23.3/15.6 and 7.5/5.0, respectively. These cancers—which might be termed cancers of the mouth, pharynx, throat and gullet—then rank second only to lung cancer in men, and fourth after breast, uterine cervix and large bowel in females, worldwide.