A retrospective look at participants of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial examined behavioral risk factors for developing head and neck cancer. Increased risk was observed with heavy—but not light or moderate—drinking, and an interaction effect was not observed between smoking and drinking. Risk was strongly correlated with smoking duration and risk among current smokers were: larynx (HR 9.36), oropharynx (HR 4.00), and oral cavity (HR 2.58). You can compare this to the increased risks smokers saw for lung (HR 12.69), esophageal (HR 3.12) and gastric (HR 2.16) cancers. | Lander, JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2024
