Case-control study of oral cancer in Shenyang, Northeastern China

Abstract

To investigate the risk factors of oral cancer, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted from March 1989 to September 1995 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. One hundred one patients (62 men and 39 women) with primary oral cancer were compared with 101 age- and sex-matched control patients without cancer. The associations of oral cancer with educational level, residential environment, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption were assessed by unconditional logistic regression analysis. The major findings were as follows. The lower the educational level, the higher the oral cancer risk. Living in industrial areas significantly elevated the risk in women. Men who smoked and drank alcohol were at a significantly higher risk for oral cancer, relative to nonsmokers and nondrinkers. In men, the risk significantly increased with increasing consumption of tobacco, by smoking nonfiltered cigarettes and hand-rolled cigarettes; and with increasing consumption of alcoholic beverages. Men who consumed both tobacco and alcoholic beverages were at significantly higher risk of oral cancer, compared to those without both habits. The educational level, residential environment, and smoking and drinking habits were all associated with oral cancer risk in Shenyang, China.