Trends in head and neck cancers in Peru between 1987 and 2008: Experience from a large public cancer hospital in Lima

Background Few studies have evaluated the trends in head and neck cancer in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to estimate trends in incidence of human papillomavirus-related (HPV-R) and HPV-unrelated (HPV-U) head and neck cancer in Lima, Peru, from 1987 to 2008. Methods Registry data from a single public cancer hospital were used to estimate age and sex-specific incidence rates. Annualized percent change was estimated using Poisson regression. Results The rate of total head and neck cancers, HPV-U, and HPV-R was 11.9, 10.9, and 0.8, respectively, per 100,000 person-years. Significant increases in HPV-U head and neck cancer were observed in men aged 30 to 44 (2.5%/year) and women 15 to 29 (4.2%/year), 30 to 44 (3.4%/year), and 60 to 74 (2.0%/year). Significant increases in HPV-R head and neck cancer were observed only among men aged 45 to 59 (9.6%/year). Conclusion Although increased exposure to tobacco, occupational carcinogens, and changing sexual behaviors could be influencing these trends, additional analyses to assess generalizability of these findings to other regions of Peru are needed.