Regional variation of oral cancer in Papua New Guinea

Data from the Papua New Guinea Tumour Registry for the period 1979 to 1983 were examined for regional differences in the apparent incidence of oral cancer. The age-standardised incidence rates showed a ten-fold variation across the country, and only part of this variation could be explained by differences in availability of health services and in overall cancer-reporting rates. Incidence rates for oral cancer are significantly lower in the highlands than in the lowland regions of Papua New Guinea. The male: female ratio for oral cancer was greater than that for all cancer cases. The ways in which differences in betel- chewing and in tobacco and alcohol consumption may contribute-to these trends are discussed.