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With 10,882 estimated new cases in 1995 in France, lip, oral cavity and pharynx tumours rank 4th, representing 8.1% of all cancers in men. They are less frequent in women, with a sex ratio of 7. Based on the French cancer registries data which cover 13% of the metropolitan territory in 2000, both incidence and mortality increased until early 1980s to decrease thereafter. The main hypothesis proposed to explain the French leadership world-wide for these tumours deals with alcohol and tobacco consumption. Important differences observed between several areas within Europe, for some subsites, in connection with age or sex, are pointing toward the need of new studies about environment and/or genetics. Until now, comparisons between countries were made at the level of lip, oral cavity and pharynx category as a whole or by large subgroups. In this work we attempt to establish more accurate statistics, in order to comply with the situation of this cancer in France. Present results should encourage the scientific community to conduct site specific epidemiological studies.

129 patients, who had oral cavity or oropharyngeal carcinoma underwent excision with intraoperative histopathologic examination. Thanks to this method, the number of satisfying resections has increased from 25% to 75%. Whatever the quality of the surgical excision may be, postoperative radiotherapy improves the prognosis.

When malignant tumours of the oral cavity are of a small size, they are asymptomatic during a long time, and it is difficult to detect them. A method permitting to discover them more easily during the examination would be a precious rescue. In this aim, we have tested the oral coloration with toluidine-blue in 50 patients with a high risk of malignant tumour. This coloration has allowed to reveal cancer in 3 patients whereas no tumour was found at previous clinical examination.

From the data collected in the Cancer Registry of Calvados, a screening program for neoplastic lesions of the whole upper digestive and respiratory tract was performed in a canton where esophageal cancer incidence is very high. 137 men underwent this examination for mouth, pharyngo-larynx and esophagus. None neoplastic lesion was revealed but histologic and cytologic swabs showed some abnormalities that are now being studied.