Incidence of Cancer of the Respiratory and Upper Digestive Tract in Urban and Rural Eastern Austria

The incidence of head and neck, oesophagus and lung cancer between 1981 and 1985 was studied in Eastern Austria for an urban-rural division. In males, rural rates of oral cavity, oropharynx and oesophagus tumours were higher than urban rates. For lung tumours, urban rates slightly exceeded rural rates. In females, the incidence of oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx, oesophagus and lung cancer showed an urban predominance, steepest for head and neck and oesophagus cancers. Cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus and lung had a high male preponderance.