Who dies of mouth, throat & larynx cancer?
In the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, 0.97% of men and 0.31% of women eventually die of mouth, throat & larynx cancer. It is never the most likely cause of death for any one country, sex and age group — but it adds up over a lifetime.
The risk by age
Chance of dying of mouth, throat & larynx cancer within 10 years, and its share of all the risk at that age — the median of 36 countries. Your own country's numbers are one click away on its page.
| Age | men | women |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 0% (0% of the risk) | 0% (0% of the risk) |
| 20–24 | <0.01% (0.12% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.16% of the risk) |
| 25–29 | <0.01% (0.28% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.37% of the risk) |
| 30–34 | <0.01% (0.46% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.64% of the risk) |
| 35–39 | 0.01% (0.91% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.71% of the risk) |
| 40–44 | 0.04% (1.6% of the risk) | 0.01% (0.77% of the risk) |
| 45–49 | 0.07% (2.1% of the risk) | 0.02% (0.93% of the risk) |
| 50–54 | 0.15% (2.4% of the risk) | 0.04% (1.1% of the risk) |
| 55–59 | 0.22% (2.4% of the risk) | 0.06% (1.0% of the risk) |
| 60–64 | 0.31% (2.0% of the risk) | 0.07% (0.79% of the risk) |
| 65–69 | 0.35% (1.6% of the risk) | 0.08% (0.61% of the risk) |
| 70–74 | 0.37% (1.0% of the risk) | 0.09% (0.40% of the risk) |
| 75–79 | 0.37% (0.66% of the risk) | 0.11% (0.26% of the risk) |
| 80–84 | 0.32% (0.43% of the risk) | 0.12% (0.19% of the risk) |
| 85–89 | 0.27% (0.31% of the risk) | 0.12% (0.14% of the risk) |
| 90–94 | 0.22% (0.23% of the risk) | 0.11% (0.12% of the risk) |
Lifetime chance, men: highest and lowest countries
Lifetime chance, women: highest and lowest countries
What changes the odds
- In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 5.7 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015).
- Heavy drinkers: about 2.1 times as often as people who don't drink.
Weight, exercise, alcohol and diet at age 55, from the published studies behind Odainn's personal numbers — methodology.
Tobacco and alcohol are the main causes, especially together; the HPV vaccine protects against the virus behind many throat cancers. A mouth ulcer that lasts more than 3 weeks, red or white patches in the mouth, a lump in the neck or hoarseness that doesn't go away are reasons to see a doctor or dentist.
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Questions
- At what age is mouth, throat & larynx cancer most likely to be the cause of death?
- For men, mouth, throat & larynx cancer takes its largest share of deaths at 50–54: 2.4% of the risk of dying in the next 10 years, in the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age.
- Which country has the highest risk of dying of mouth, throat & larynx cancer?
- Of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, Moldova has the highest lifetime chance of dying of mouth, throat & larynx cancer for men (2.0%), and Norway the lowest (0.43%).
- What raises the risk of dying of mouth, throat & larynx cancer?
- In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 5.7 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015). Heavy drinkers: about 2.1 times as often as people who don't drink.
Computed by Odainn from official mortality statistics (Eurostat; ONS, NRS and NISRA; CDC; Statistics Canada) for 36 countries, latest years — how we calculate. Belarus is left out: deaths by cause and age aren't published together there, so the split by cause is our estimate. Population statistics, not a prediction for any individual. Educational, not medical advice.