Squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity in The Netherlands; an epidemiological study of 740 patients.

The epidemiological data of 740 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lips or oral cavity is reported. The mean age was 63 years. The mean onset of oral cancer in women was 7 years later than in men. Patients under the age of 40 years were mainly males. The male-to-female ratio ranged from 8.3 for the lower lip to 0.9 for the upper alveolar ridge with an overall ratio of 1.8. In the case of multiple oral SCCs the tongue was the most frequently affected site. No significant association was found between the age or gender of patients and the size of the tumour. However, a significant association was observed between the site and size of the tumour. Lesions of the lower lip had a significantly smaller size than tumours of other sites. Furthermore, a linear trend could be observed between the size of the tumour and the clinical stage of the neck.