Epidemiology of cancer of the lip in the Netherlands

Descriptive epidemiological data of new cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the vermilion border of the lip in the Netherlands from 1989–94 inclusive are presented. Lip cancer represented 0.47 and 0.09% of all new malignancies in males and females, respectively. The lower lip was the most frequently affected site. The majority of the lip cancers were diagnosed in tumour stage I. The median age at diagnosis in males was 68 years, 5 years less than in females. The overall male-to-female ratio was 5.7. Age-adjusted incidence rates in males and females were 2.2 and 0.3 per 100 000 (ESR), respectively. The cumulative lifetime risk for developing lip cancer was 0.15 for males and 0.03 for females. Mortality/incidence ratios in males and females were 0.05 and 0.07, respectively. Differences in lip cancer incidence were observed between an urban and a rural area. There was a positive association between the occurrence of lip cancer and rural residence; rate ratios were 3.3 among males and 3.5 among females.