Oropharyngeal cancer mortality in the United States, 1999–2023: a surveillance analysis using CDC WONDER

Background: Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is a major head and neck cancer subtype with shifting U.S. epidemiology. We performed a surveillance-style analysis of OPC mortality trends and demographic/geographic disparities, 1999-2023. Methods: OPC mortality (1999-2023) was obtained from CDC WONDER. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were computed by category. Joinpoint regression estimated annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC). Pearson correlation assessed associations between AAMR and structural indicators. Results: ). Conclusion: OPC mortality increased in the United States from 1999 to 2023, with demographic and geographic disparities. These surveillance findings may support public health monitoring and provide a hypothesis-generating basis for future analytic studies.