Head and Neck Cancer – Global Clinical Trial Landscape - Focus On Asia Pacific

In 2020, head and neck cancer (HNC) affected around 770,000 individuals globally, with lip and oral cavity cancer as the predominant subtype, constituting half of all HNC cases worldwide. Asia accounted for over 60% of global HNC cases in 2020, primarily contributed by India and China. In Southeast Asia, HNC cases are rising, particularly among males, attributed to factors like tobacco, areca nut, and alcohol consumption. India represented more than a quarter of global HNC cases in 2020, with lip and oral cavity cancer having the highest age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 9.8 per 100,000 population, resulting in over 100,000 deaths that year. Mainland China accounted for nearly 15% of global HNC cases and approximately 59,000 deaths in 2020, with nasopharyngeal cancer comprising over 50% of cases. Japan reported nearly 21,000 HNC cases and approximately 8,000 deaths in 2020, with lip and oral cavity cancer contributing to over half of the cases.

The Philippines and Thailand together reported around 16,000 HNC cases, leading to approximately 9,000 deaths in 2020. Australia, South Korea, and Malaysia collectively reported approximately 12,000 HNC cases each in 2020, resulting in around 5,000 deaths. Following India, Australia had the highest ASIR of lip and oral cavity cancer at 6.5. In 2020, the United States and Europe reported a significant number of HNC cases: 46,000 in the US and 99,000 in Europe, with lip and oral cavity cancer as the predominant subtype. The increasing incidence of HNC in the U.S. and Europe is primarily due to rising oropharyngeal cancer cases caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Over the next two decades, it is anticipated that the majority of HNC cases will be HPV-positive, with oropharyngeal cancer surpassing oral cavity cancer incidence in certain countries like the United Kingdom and the U.S. Get more details regarding the global clinical landscape of HNC and where treatment efforts are headed in the future by accessing the full report below.