OBJECTIVES: Upper Aerodigestive Tract (UAT) cancers concern more than 20,000 new cases and about 10,000 deaths per year in France and represent the highest incidence in Europe. In the scope of optimising local health care offer, the purpose of this study was to assess and compare the annual hospital burden of UAT cancers in every French region. METHODS: We used the 2007 PMSI French hospital database gathering information on public and private hospitals admissions. Through an algorithm based on ICD10 diagnosis, we extracted hospital stays, chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions for UAT cancers (malignancies affecting the oral cavity, salivary glands, facial airways, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx). Radiotherapy sessions performed in the private sector are not registered in the PMSI, so they were assessed from the SAE database. Hospital charges were based on a representative national cost study (ENC) and demography data were extracted from National statistics (INSEE). RESULTS: In 2007, 274,082 records for UAT cancers were extracted from the PMSI corresponding to 35,085 patients, of which 81% were men. This gender disparity is homogeneous over UAT cancer types, except for salivary glands cancer affecting up to 60% of men. The prevalence of hospitalised patients suffering from UAT cancers was higher in Northern regions. By including radiotherapy sessions performed in private sector, the annual hospital charge was estimated at €330,977,982, of which 75.0% and 15.3% were dedicated to hospital stays and chemotherapy sessions respectively. Radiotherapy sessions represent 9.7% of total charge, ranging from 5.6% to 17.8% according to regions. CONCLUSIONS: In France, UAT cancers represent a heavy charge for hospitals. Furthermore, regional disparities are significant. In a context of the regionalization of health plans, these results could be useful for decision makers in order to develop adapted prevention programs and relevant resources allocation at local level.