The Surveillance Epidemiology & End Results
(SEER) programme in the USA reported an overall
decrease in the mortality from oral and pharyngeal
cancer between 1998 and 2007 of 1.6% per annum.
Table 1 shows a decrease in all mortality rates for oral
and pharyngeal cancer in the USA between 1998 and
2007. The decrease is considerable among both Hispanic
and black women (annual percentage changes
of )1.6% and )3.7%, respectively). Furthermore, the
SEER data show better five-year survival rates for
white men (62.2%) and for black men (37.5%) diagnosed
during the period 1999–2006, than for those
diagnosed during the period 1974–1976 (when rates
for whites and blacks were 55% and 36.3%, respectively)
(79). The five-year survival rates in the SEER
registries range from a low of 53.3% in 1975–1977 to a
high of 62.7% in 1999–2006 (2). These striking differences
may be explained by a number of factors,
including socio-economic condition, age, stage at
diagnosis, continued presence or absence of environmental
risk factors, and access to hospital services.
African-American patients have consistently poorer
survival outcomes (75).