Introduction: Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a vast group of oncological conditions, which have as an origin various tissue types and organ localizations, situated in the topographical regions of the head and neck (H&N). This single institution retrospective study aims to establish the HNC patient demographics and categorize the separate instances of H&N malignancies, in regards to their organ of origin and main histopathological type and depict the demographics and incidence of the individual entries.
Materials and methods: All histologically verified cases of HNC from the St. Marina University Hospital, Varna, Bulgaria - a tertiary referral center, were retrospectively reviewed in a descriptive manner. Data sampling period was 47 months, from September 2012 to July 2016.
Results: HNC Male to female ratio was 3.24:1. The mean age of diagnosis was 63.84 ± 12.65 years, median 65 years. Common HNC locations are the larynx 30.37% (n = 188), lips and oral cavity 29.08% (n = 180), pharynx 20.03% (n = 124) and salivary glands 10.94% (n = 68), with the external nose, nasal cavity and sinuses and auricle and external ear canal presenting a minority of the cases. The main histopathological groups include squamous cell carcinoma 76.74% (n = 475) and adenocarcinoma 6.14% (n = 38), other malignancies such as other epithelial malignancies, primary tonsillar, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue or parenchymal lymphomas, connective tissue neoplasias, neuroendocrine and vascular malignancies make up a minority of the cases. Based on the collected data the annual incidence of HNC in the region is 17.16 per 100.000 capita.
Conclusion: Deemed to be of relatively low frequency (worldwide 3%- 5%, Bulgaria 4.41%), HNC represents a varied group of oncological entities with individual and specific demographic characteristics.