Open AccessDetection of Very Early Oral Cancers in Puerto Rico
Author(s) -
Donald R. Morse,
Walter J. Psoter,
Taína De La Torre Feliciano,
Gustavo D. Cruz,
Nayda Figueroa
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2007.118679
Subject(s) - oral cancers , medicine , cancer , cancer registry , demography , population , environmental health , sociology
We evaluated a possible disparity in the detection of very early oral cancers in Puerto Rico relative to the United States. The percentage of in situ (noninvasive) cases among all oral cancer cases was calculated separately for Puerto Rico and the United States using population-based cancer registry data (1992-2001). In situ cancers constituted 1.2% of oral cancer cases in Puerto Rico and 3.4% in the United States (P<.001). These findings suggest a disparity in very early oral cancer detection in Puerto Rico compared with the United States.