What are the key statistics about laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers?

The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for laryngeal cancer in the United States are for 2012:

• About 12,360 new cases of laryngeal cancer (9,840 in men and 2,520 in women)
• About 3,650 people (2,880 men and 770 women) will die from laryngeal cancer

For laryngeal cancer about 60% start in the glottis – the vocal cords themselves – while about 35% develop in the supraglottic region (above the vocal cords). The rest occur in either the subglottis or overlap more than one area so that it is hard to tell where they started.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 13,510 new cases of cancer of the pharynx will occur in 2012 (10,790 in men and 2,720 in women). Only some of these cases will start in the hypopharynx, with about 2,400 cases of hypopharyngeal cancer estimated to occur in 2012 (about 1,920 in men and 480 in women).

The rate of new caes of laryngeal cancer is falling about 2% to 3% a year, mainly because fewer people are smoking.

Survival statistics for these cancers are discussed in the section, "Survival rates for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers by stage."