50 % of head and neck cancers smoking related

By
Daily Excelsior
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, June 23:
More than 50 per cent of head and neck cancers are due to smoking, reveals a new study published in PubMed, the online repository of studies in life sciences and biomedical topics, maintained by the US National Institutes of Health.
In the study involving 101,182 subjects during a Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial, it was brought out that 50.5 per cent of head and neck cancer cases are attributed to tobacco use.
Titled ‘Tobacco, alcohol, body mass index, physical activity, and the risk of head and neck cancer in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian (PLCO) cohort,’ the study also found out that the proportion of head and neck cancer cases attributed to tobacco and/or alcohol was 66 per cent.
Of these, 50.5 per cent was due to tobacco use alone, 14.7 per cent from alcohol alone and 0.9 per cent from combination of tobacco and alcohol, according to the report released here today.
Head and neck cancers are a heterogeneous group of tumours involving the oral cavity (mouth), pharynx (throat), and larynx (voicebox).
Ranked sixth among the common cancers worldwide, nearly 300,000 people die each year out of 400,000 approximate cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx and 160,000 cancers of the larynx, as per the World Cancer Report 2008. The World Cancer Report is brought out jointly by the World Health Organisation and International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Dr Ramadas K, Medical Superintendent and Professor, Division of Radiation Oncology, Regional Cancer Centre said, ‘Though most of the head and neck cancers can be cured if detected in early stages; the reality is alarming. Majority of these tumours are detected in very advanced stages when the treatment is complicated, expensive and less curative. Recent advances in radiotherapy have made the treatment more precise with minimal side effects.’
‘Considering that dissuading from tobacco use can prevent the extremely debilitating head and neck cancers, users would do well to quit. Family members, especially children, can encourage and counsel male members to stop this addictive habit,’ Dr Ramadas added.
In India, in addition to tobacco smoking, chewing of tobacco, especially pan masala containing tobacco has magnified the ill effects of head and neck cancers, experts point out.
(UNI)

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