Oral and pharyngeal cancer is an entity constituted by a group of tumours that arise in several heterogeneous anatomical sites, and for this reason it is difficult to establish comparisons. The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of oropharyngeal cancer in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC), to learn the incidence rate and to establish comparisons. Data of cases are from the Basque Country Cancer Registry for the period 1986-1994, and the methodology used is descriptive. We included 2548 cases, and the sex ratio was 7.4:1. Diagnosis was made by histology in most cases (99%). The crude incidence rate was 24.1/100,000 population for men and 3.1/100,000 for women. Higher incidence rates were found in the tongue (6.6), lip (5.8) and oropharynx (4.9). No variation was found in the incidence during the period. In comparison with other Spanish registries, there is a high incidence in men of cancer in the oral cavity. The results obtained show the characteristics of oral and pharyngeal cancer in the BAC and its magnitude, highlighting the importance of future preventive actions.