OBJECTIVE: To describe the mortality in children and teenagers due to mouth and pharynx cancers among neoplasm cases registered in Brazil. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 167 deaths of children (zero to 14 years old) and teenagers (15 to 19 years old) registered between 1999 and 2005 in Brazil, that were classified under the ICD-10 codes of mouth and pharynx cancers (C00-C14), in Chapter II. The data were obtained from the Information System about Mortality of the Ministry of Health, available in CD-ROM. RESULTS: The proportional mortality for mouth and pharynx cancers in the studied group represented 0.8% of the total deaths from all neoplasms. The mortality increased with age (0.26% for <1 year old children and 1.52% for 15 to 19 years old teenagers). There were 69 deaths (46 males and 23 females) of children aged from zero to 14 years old and 98 deaths (64 males and 34 females) of teenagers from 15 to 19 years old, corresponding to 0.5% (n=167) of the total deaths caused by mouth and pharynx cancers recorded in Brazil. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality was higher in male teenagers. The anatomic site that lead to more deaths of children and teenagers was the nasopharynx. Oropharynx was the most affected topography of the oral cavity.
mouth neoplasms; pharyngeal neoplasms; mortality
