IMPORTANCE Head and neck cancer (HNC) is more common among socioeconomically disenfranchised individuals, making financial burden particularly relevant. OBJECTIVE To assess the financial burdens of HNC compared with other cancers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this retrospective review of nationally representative, publicly available survey, data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were extracted from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2015. A total of 444 867 adults were surveyed, which extrapolates to a population of 221 503 108 based on the weighted survey design. Data analysis was performed from April 18, 2018, to August 20, 2018. EXPOSURES Of 16 771 patients with cancer surveyed (weighted count of 10 083 586 patients), 489 reported HNC (weighted count of 261 631). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Patients with HNC were compared with patients with other cancers on demographics, income, employment, and health. Within the HNC group, risk factors for total medical expenses and relative out-of-pocket expenses were assessed with regression modeling. Complex sampling methods were accounted for with weighting using balanced repeated replication. RESULTS A total of 16 771 patients (mean [SD] age, 62.3 [18.9] years; 9006 [53.7%] female) with cancer were studied. Compared with patients with other cancers, patients with HNC were more often members of a minority race/ethnicity, male, poor, publicly insured, and less educated, with lower general and mental health status. Median annual medical expenses

There was evidence of disparities in HPV and HPV vaccine awareness among men compared with women and non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic Whites. To foster improvements in HPV vaccine uptake and reduce disparities in HPV associated cancers, future interventions must target men and minority populations, for whom knowledge gaps exist.

Background The current study was conducted to determine whether the incidence of late‐stage head and neck cancer (HNC) is decreasing and to estimate the risk of late‐stage HNC diagnosis based on race and sex. Methods Age‐adjusted incidence rates for patients aged ≥18 years with stage IV HNC were abstracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004‐2015). Rates were stratified by race, sex, and age. Joinpoint regression estimated annual percent changes (APCs) in rates over time, and logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs). Results There were 57,118 patients with stage IV HNC in the current study cohort, with an average age of 61.9 years. From 2004 to 2015, the age‐adjusted incidence rates for stage IV HNC significantly increased by 26.1% (6.11 per 100,000 person‐years in 2004 to 7.70 per 100,000 person‐years in 2015). White and Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Alaska Native patients had significant increases in incidence (APC for white patients, 3.03 [P < .01] and APC for other races, 1.95 [P < .01]), whereas rates among black patients remained stable but were highest across racial groups. Incidence was higher among males compared with females. When restricted only to patients with stage IVC (metastatic) HNC, there remained a significant increase in incidence, especially for oropharyngeal cancer, which showed a 22.9% increase (0.21 per 100,000 person‐years in 2004 vs 0.25 per 100,000 person‐years in 2015). Despite a decreasing overall incidence of stage IV HNC in black patients (aOR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.22‐1.34) they, along with males (aOR, 3.95; 95% CI, 3.80‐4.11), had significantly increased risks of being diagnosed with late‐stage HNC. Conclusions There is an increasing incidence of late‐stage HNC in the United States, with male patients and black individuals faring the worst.

Background Cancer survivors face psychosocial issues that increase their risk of suicide. This study examined the risk of suicide across cancer sites, with a focus on survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18‐registry database (from 2000 to 2014) was queried for the top 20 cancer sites in the database, including HNC. The outcome of interest was suicide as a cause of death. The mortality rate from suicide was estimated for HNC sites and was compared with rates for 19 other cancer sites that were included in the study. Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 1) HNC versus non‐HNC sites (the other 19 cancer sites combined), and 2) HNC versus each individual cancer site. Models were stratified by sex, controlling for race, marital status, age, year, and stage at diagnosis. Results There were 404 suicides among 151,167 HNC survivors from 2000 to 2014, yielding a suicide rate of 63.4 suicides per 100,000 person‐years. In this timeframe, there were 4493 suicides observed among 4219,097 cancer survivors in the study sample, yielding an incidence rate of 23.6 suicides per 100,000 person‐years. Compared with survivors of other cancers, survivors of HNC were almost 2 times more likely to die from suicide (aRR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.77‐2.19). There was a 27% increase in the risk of suicide among HNC survivors during the period from 2010 to 2014 (aRR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.16‐1.38) compared with the period from 2000 to 2004. Conclusions Although survival rates in cancer have improved because of improved treatments, the risk of death by suicide remains a problem for cancer survivors, particularly those with HNC.

Smokers were almost twice as likely as nonsmokers to die during the study period. We also found that those who were married were less likely to be smokers at diagnosis. Our study suggests that individualized cancer care should incorporate social support and management of cancer risk behaviors.