Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation

Cessation of alcohol drinking, tobacco smoking and the reversal of head and neck cancer risk

Manuela Marron et al. Int J Epidemiol. 2010 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Quitting tobacco or alcohol use has been reported to reduce the head and neck cancer risk in previous studies. However, it is unclear how many years must pass following cessation of these habits before the risk is reduced, and whether the risk ultimately declines to the level of never smokers or never drinkers.

Methods: We pooled individual-level data from case-control studies in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Data were available from 13 studies on drinking cessation (9167 cases and 12 593 controls), and from 17 studies on smoking cessation (12 040 cases and 16 884 controls). We estimated the effect of quitting smoking and drinking on the risk of head and neck cancer and its subsites, by calculating odds ratios (ORs) using logistic regression models.

Results: Quitting tobacco smoking for 1-4 years resulted in a head and neck cancer risk reduction [OR 0.70, confidence interval (CI) 0.61-0.81 compared with current smoking], with the risk reduction due to smoking cessation after > or =20 years (OR 0.23, CI 0.18-0.31), reaching the level of never smokers. For alcohol use, a beneficial effect on the risk of head and neck cancer was only observed after > or =20 years of quitting (OR 0.60, CI 0.40-0.89 compared with current drinking), reaching the level of never drinkers.

Conclusions: Our results support that cessation of tobacco smoking and cessation of alcohol drinking protect against the development of head and neck cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cessation of drinking ≥20 years and head and neck cancer risk compared with current drinking
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cessation of smoking ≥20 years and head and neck cancer risk compared with current smoking
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

  • Alcohol drinking in never users of tobacco, cigarette smoking in never drinkers, and the risk of head and neck cancer: pooled analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium.
    Hashibe M, Brennan P, Benhamou S, Castellsague X, Chen C, Curado MP, Dal Maso L, Daudt AW, Fabianova E, Fernandez L, Wünsch-Filho V, Franceschi S, Hayes RB, Herrero R, Koifman S, La Vecchia C, Lazarus P, Levi F, Mates D, Matos E, Menezes A, Muscat J, Eluf-Neto J, Olshan AF, Rudnai P, Schwartz SM, Smith E, Sturgis EM, Szeszenia-Dabrowska N, Talamini R, Wei Q, Winn DM, Zaridze D, Zatonski W, Zhang ZF, Berthiller J, Boffetta P. Hashibe M, et al. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 May 16;99(10):777-89. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djk179. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007. PMID: 17505073
  • Tobacco smoking, chewing habits, alcohol drinking and the risk of head and neck cancer in Nepal.
    Chang CP, Siwakoti B, Sapkota A, Gautam DK, Lee YA, Monroe M, Hashibe M. Chang CP, et al. Int J Cancer. 2020 Aug 1;147(3):866-875. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32823. Epub 2019 Dec 27. Int J Cancer. 2020. PMID: 31837000 Free PMC article.
  • Risk factors for head and neck cancer in young adults: a pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium.
    Toporcov TN, Znaor A, Zhang ZF, Yu GP, Winn DM, Wei Q, Vilensky M, Vaughan T, Thomson P, Talamini R, Szeszenia-Dabrowska N, Sturgis EM, Smith E, Shangina O, Schwartz SM, Schantz S, Rudnai P, Richiardi L, Ramroth H, Purdue MP, Olshan AF, Eluf-Neto J, Muscat J, Moyses RA, Morgenstern H, Menezes A, McClean M, Matsuo K, Mates D, Macfarlane TV, Lissowska J, Levi F, Lazarus P, La Vecchia C, Lagiou P, Koifman S, Kjaerheim K, Kelsey K, Holcatova I, Herrero R, Healy C, Hayes RB, Franceschi S, Fernandez L, Fabianova E, Daudt AW, Curioni OA, Maso LD, Curado MP, Conway DI, Chen C, Castellsague X, Canova C, Cadoni G, Brennan P, Boccia S, Antunes JL, Ahrens W, Agudo A, Boffetta P, Hashibe M, Lee YC, Filho VW. Toporcov TN, et al. Int J Epidemiol. 2015 Feb;44(1):169-85. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyu255. Epub 2015 Jan 22. Int J Epidemiol. 2015. PMID: 25613428 Free PMC article.
  • Synchronous and metachronous head and neck carcinomas.
    Schwartz LH, Ozsahin M, Zhang GN, Touboul E, De Vataire F, Andolenko P, Lacau-Saint-Guily J, Laugier A, Schlienger M. Schwartz LH, et al. Cancer. 1994 Oct 1;74(7):1933-8. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19941001)74:7<1933::aid-cncr2820740718>3.0.co;2-x. Cancer. 1994. PMID: 8082099 Review.
  • Alcohol and head and neck cancer.
    Kawakita D, Matsuo K. Kawakita D, et al. Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2017 Sep;36(3):425-434. doi: 10.1007/s10555-017-9690-0. Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2017. PMID: 28815324 Review.
See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Ferlay J, Bray F, Pisani P, Parkin D. GLOBOCAN 2002: Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide IARC CancerBase No. 5. Lyon: IARC Press; 2004.
    1. Franceschi S, Bidoli E, Herrero R, Munoz N. Comparison of cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx worldwide: etiological clues. Oral Oncol. 2000;36:106–15. - PubMed
    1. Shiboski CH, Shiboski SC, Silverman S., Jr Trends in oral cancer rates in the United States, 1973–1996. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2000;28:249–56. - PubMed
    1. La Vecchia C, Lucchini F, Negri E, Levi F. Trends in oral cancer mortality in Europe. Oral Oncol. 2004;40:433–39. - PubMed
    1. Blot W, McLaughlin J, Devesa S, Fraumeni J. Cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx. In: Schoffenfeld D, Fraumeni J, editors. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996. pp. 666–80.

Publication types