Purpose
Evaluate the occupational variation in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).

Methods
We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of OPC in occupational categories in the Nordic countries relative to the entire national populations. The data covered 6155 OPC cases.

Results
Among men high risk of OPC was observed, among else, in waiters (SIR 6.28, 95% CI 4.68–8.26), beverage workers (SIR 3.00, 95% CI 1.72–4.88), and artistic workers (SIR 2.97, 95% CI 2.31–3.76). Among women high risk of OPC was observed in waiters (SIR 2.02, 95% CI 1.41–2.81) and packers (SIR 1.73, 95% CI 1.07–2.64). The lowest SIRs were observed in female gardeners (SIR 0.27, 95% CI 0.12–0.51) and male farmers (SIR 0.30, 95% CI 0.25–0.35).

Conclusion
The 20-fold variation in incidence of OPC between occupations needs further investigation in studies with detailed information on occupational and non-occupational risk factor