TUMORS IN ICELAND .4. TUMORS OF THE UPPER RESPIRATORY-TRACT AND EAR - A HISTOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION AND SOME ETIOLOGICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 89  (5) , 377-387
Abstract
All primary tumors from the upper respiratory tract and ear submitted for a histological diagnosis in Iceland during 1955-1974 were reviewed and typed according to the WHO Classification published in 1978. The series included 83 benign and 114 malignant tumors from the upper respiratory tract. The nasal cavity was the most common site for benign tumors in both sexes, most being squamous cell and transitional papillomas. The larynx was the most common site for malignant tumors in males, all squamous cell carcinomas. The paranasal sinuses and the nasopharynx were the most common locations in females, with squamous cell carcinoma forming the largest group in the sinuses and undifferentiated carcinoma in the nasopharynx. The distribution of tumors in the nasal cavity and sinuses differed between the 2 sites and between the sexes, emphasizing that these 2 sites should be classified separately in epidemiological reports and cancer registries. A relatively high incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Iceland may be due to a high consumption of salted food. A rising incidence of laryngeal carcinoma may be related to the use of tobacco and alcohol, and its marked rise in young females is of special concern.