[Data on the epidemiology of head and neck neoplasms in Hungary]

Oral and pharyngeal cancer mortality of the male population increases in the fastest rate in Hungary. Both oral and pharyngeal as well as laryngeal cancer mortality is the highest in Europe for both sexes. The leading risk factors of them are smoking and drinking together. The per capitam cigarette and alcohol consumption of Hungarian population belong also among the highest in Europe. The authors have examined these damaging habits taking in account the collected data of Hungarian patient's group, the presence of them as risk factors have been compared to the smoking and alcohol consuming habits of the average population collected by microcensus data. Only 4 patients were nonsmokers and nondrinkers among the 145 patients who were interviewed. On the other hand from the same number of the population with the same sex and age distribution 73 did not smoke and drink while 123 patients were smokers and drinkers against the 48 from the population mentioned before. They have found that the two groups have diverged at a level 0.1% significance. Taking in account the fact that the number of patients is relatively low, further data collection is carried on in order to analyse in a more detailed way, but they regard it as proved, according to the recent tests the serious risk role of the two factors for the Hungarian population.