Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the role of family history of cancer and personal history of other medical conditions in the aetiology of the oral cavity cancer in France.MethodsWe used data from 689 cases of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and 3481 controls included in a population-based case–control study, the ICARE study. Odds-ratios (ORs) associated with family history of cancer and personal medical conditions and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression and were adjusted for age, gender, area of residence, education, body mass index, tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking.ResultsPersonal history of oral candidiasis was related to a significantly increased risk of oral cavity cancer (OR 5.0, 95% CI 2.1-12.1). History of head and neck cancers among the first-degree relatives was associated with an OR of 1.9 (95% CI 1.2-2.8). The risk increased with the number of first-degree relatives with head and neck cancer.ConclusionA family history of head and neck cancer is a marker of an increased risk of oral cavity cancer and should be taken into account to target prevention efforts and screening. Further studies are needed to clarify the association between oral cavity cancer and personal history of candidiasis.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of family history of cancer and personal history of other medical conditions in the aetiology of the oral cavity cancer in France
The results of the epidemiological studies on the role of these medical conditions in the occurrence of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancers are contradictory and the underlying mechanisms are not complete elucidated. Other risk factors, such as genetic polymorphism in genes involved in the metabolism of tobacco and alcohol carcinogens and DNA repair seems to play a role in the development of UADT cancers [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]
We found a stronger association between the risk of oral cavity cancer and family history of head and neck cancer in subjects aged 45 or more compared to subjects aged less than 45, the odds ratios (OR) were not statistically different (p-value for interaction = 0.46)
Summary
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of family history of cancer and personal history of other medical conditions in the aetiology of the oral cavity cancer in France. The results of the epidemiological studies on the role of these medical conditions in the occurrence of UADT cancers are contradictory and the underlying mechanisms are not complete elucidated. Other risk factors, such as genetic polymorphism in genes involved in the metabolism of tobacco and alcohol carcinogens and DNA repair seems to play a role in the development of UADT cancers [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]. The literature is contrasted about whether the cancer risk varies according to UADT subsite, gender, type of affected relative (parents, siblings), and their cancer site
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