Work

A geographical comparison between head & neck cancer incidence and distribution of otolaryngologists

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The incidence of head and neck cancer (HNC) is increasing, and research is needed to identify and treat populations at higher risk. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER), Area Health Resource File (AHRF), and American Community Survey (ACS) databases were queried for incidence of HNC, provider demographics, and county demographics, respectively. The primary outcome was county-level incidence rate. Multivariate analysis of county variables identified risk factors associated with higher incidence. RESULTS: The geographic incidence of HNC is unequally distributed with higher incidence in counties with older age (3.68 % increase, CI: 3.46-3.89 %), white (1.71 %, CI: 1.08-2.35 %) and black (1.20 %, CI: 0.40-2.00 %) race, and higher percentage of smokers (1.36 %, CI: 1.17-1.55 %). The otolaryngology workforce was inversely related to the county-level incidence. Compared to counties with no Otolaryngologist, those with 11+ had 41.5 % (39.7-43.4 %) lower incidence. CONCLUSION: The otolaryngology workforce is not optimally distributed to address geospatial variation in HNC incidence.

Source: American Journal of Otolaryngology

DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2025.104625

Authors: Henry C. Ideker, Ahmad Odeh, Angela Mazul, Sean T. Massa

Institutions: Saint Louis University, Washington University in St. Louis

Language: English

Topic: Head and Neck Cancer Studies

Subfield: Otorhinolaryngology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,630