With 16005 new cases and 5406 related deaths in 2005, France is particularly concerned by Head and Neck (H&N) cancers. In addition to tobacco and alcohol, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has been reported as a risk factor for H&N cancers. The literature on the burden of these cancers in Europe is scarce. This study was performed to assess the medical and economical burden of hospitalisations for H&N cancers in France.

The French national hospital database, in which admissions to public and private hospitals are recorded, was retrospectively analysed to assess the annual number of patients hospitalised for H&N cancers and associated hospital costs from the healthcare payer perspective. ICD-10 codes (16 codes classified as oral cavity, oropharynx, pharynx, salivary glands and larynx) were used to extract admissions for these cancers. Hospital stays, chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions were extracted to assess patients' management. Costs of admissions were obtained from French official tariffs.

In 2007, there were 36268 patients hospitalised for H&N cancers, of whom 81% were men, corresponding to 60200 hospital stays and 287846 sessions of chemo- or radio-therapy. Oropharynx cancer was the most frequent (28% of patients), followed by oral cavity cancer (25% of patients). The peak of frequency was observed in the 55-59 years age group. Patients were mainly treated in medicine (48%) and surgery (23%) units. Mean annual cost per patient ranged from 2764 to 7673 euros leading to a total hospital cost of 323 millions euros in 2007 (including hospitalization and expensive drugs). With 26% of H&N cancers attributable to HPV infections, 9430 patients were hospitalized due to HPV-related H&N cancers, representing 138 million euros in 2007.

Even without taking into account the rehabilitation costs, the hospital burden of H&N cancers is considerable.

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