Purpose: Evaluate the occupational variation in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).
Methods: We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of OPC in occupational categories in the Nordic countries relative to the entire national populations. The data covered 6155 OPC cases.
Results: Among men high risk of OPC was observed, among else, in waiters (SIR 6.28, 95% CI 4.68–8.26), beverage workers (SIR 3.00, 95% CI 1.72–4.88), and artistic workers (SIR 2.97, 95% CI 2.31–3.76). Among women high risk of OPC was observed in waiters (SIR 2.02, 95% CI 1.41–2.81) and packers (SIR 1.73, 95% CI 1.07–2.64). The lowest SIRs were observed in female gardeners (SIR 0.27, 95% CI 0.12–0.51) and male farmers (SIR 0.30, 95% CI 0.25–0.35).
Conclusion: The 20-fold variation in incidence of OPC between occupations needs further investigation in studies with detailed information on occupational and non-occupational risk factors.