Demographic and Behavioral Risk Factors for Oral Cancer among Florida Residents

Almost 29,000 new cases and approximately 7,500 deaths are directly attributable to oral cancer in the United States. Understanding the impact of specific behavioral and demographic characteristics on oral cancer is crucial to being able to promote early diagnoses through oral cancer screening. This study hypothesized that selected factors would be predictive of the incidence of oral cancer in Florida's population.

Approximately 74,000 cases from the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) were included in the study. Demographic and risk factors evaluated included sex, age, marital status, ethnicity, race, primary insurance payer, birthplace, cigarette use, smokeless tobacco use, cancer behavior, and other tobacco use. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association of 11 risk factors and oral cancer in Florida.

Males, Blacks, Hispanics, married individuals, and current smokers were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with oral cancer compared to their counterparts.

Florida's health providers need to be aware of the risk factors for oral cancer, look for early signs of oral cancer and recommend routine screenings in patients with history of known risk factors. Including additional reported elements such as human papillomavirus (HPV) history, sunlight exposure, vaping and use of e-cigarettes, and alcohol consumption (by amount) in the cancer registry would be greatly beneficial.