MPOWER Tobacco Control Policies and Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Trends in MERCOSUR Countries

Background: As tobacco is the main risk factor for oral cancer, it is important to understand the burden of this disease after the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. For MERCOSUR tobacco control is a topic of interest. The aim of this study was to describe MPOWER measures scores and to evaluate the trends of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) incidence, mortality and Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs), from 2005 to 2021, in MERCOSUR countries. Methods: This is an ecological descriptive study, where the MPOWER measures scores were extracted from the Global Health Observatory of World Health Organization, and the Age-standardized Rates (ASRs) of LOC for MERCOSUR countries were obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases 2021 results tool. The trends of LOC ASRs were obtained using the Prais-Winsten method. Results: Paraguay and Venezuela had lower MPOWER scores over time than Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. These three last countries showed LOC trends decreasing for most indicators among males, while Paraguay and Venezuela showed increasing trends in incidence for both males and females, and no decreasing trends. Conclusion: This study suggests that MERCOSUR countries with a history of stronger tobacco control policies may be exhibiting more decreasing trends in LOC indicators.