Oral Cavity and Pharynx Cancers, Active Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2007-2019

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of oral cavity and pharynx (OCP) cancer among service members in the active component military (i.e., Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps) from 2007 through 2019, and to provide an overview of the rates and trends throughout this period. There were 443 cases of oral cavity and pharynx cancer in the active component during those 13 years. The overall male incidence rate (2.7 per 100,000 service members) was greater than the female incidence rate (1.3 per 100,000 service members). Service members 40 years or older had the highest overall incidence rate (11.3 per 100,000 service members) which was 3.4 times the next highest rate (3.3 per 100,000 service members) observed among those aged 35-39. The Army had the greatest number of cases (n=201) followed by the Air Force (n=103), Navy (n=102), and Marine Corps (n=37). The Army had the highest overall 13-year incidence rate (3.0 per 100,000 service members) when compared to the Air Force (2.4 per 100,000 service members), Navy (2.4 per 100,000 service members), and Marine Corps (1.5 per 100,000 service members). By anatomical location, cancer of the parotid gland accounted for the highest percentage of cases (16.3%).