Association between head and neck cancer and sexually transmitted diseases: a Danish nationwide,case-control study |
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Authors: | Christian Grønhøj Kathrine Kronberg Jakobsen Vibe Lindeblad Wingstrand David Jensen Maria Iachina Alexander Egeberg |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark;2. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark;3. Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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Abstract: | AbstractBackground: An association between sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and occurrence of head and neck cancer (HNC) is proposed.Aims/objectives: We aimed to determine the association between selected STDs (syphilis, gonorrhoea, HIV) and HNC.Materials and methods: Patients diagnosed with HNC in Denmark between 1978 and 2014 identified through the Danish Cancer Registry were included. Patients were age- and sex-matched in a 1:10 ratio with general population controls. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox regression model to assess the correlation between STD and HNC.Results: A total of 39,405 HNC patients (63% men; 63.0 years at HNC diagnosis) and 393,238 controls were included. STD in HNC patients was 0.27%, vs. 0.11% in controls. Patients with cancer of the upper airways had a significantly higher prevalence of an STD prior to the HNC compared to controls. Most HNC patients with a prior STD (64.1%) developed the HNC within five years after the STD diagnosis.Conclusions: Although the studied STDs are rare, patients with cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract more commonly had a previous diagnosis of STD compared to controls. The study promotes the hypothesis that a causal link exists between STD and HNC. |
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Keywords: | Epidemiology head and neck cancer incidence sexual transmitted disease cancer risk |
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