Childhood passive smoke exposure is associated with adult head and neck cancer
Menée auprès de 858 cas et de 806 témoins, cette étude américaine évalue l'association entre une exposition au tabagisme passif pendant l'enfance et le risque de cancer de la tête et du cou à l'âge adulte
Introduction: Passive smoke is carcinogenic but its association with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is uncertain. Methods: We conducted a case-control study of childhood passive smoke exposure (CPSE) and HNSCC in 858 cases and 806 frequency-matched controls using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated with logistic regression controlling for adult smoking in the total study population, and in never-smokers only (184 cases and 415 controls). CPSE was also studied in oropharyngeal separately from other HNSCC using polytomous logistic regression. Results: CPSE was associated with HNSCC (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.01–1.63) after controlling for adult smoking and other factors. This association was similar in magnitude, although not statistically significant, among subjects who never smoked as adults (OR, 1.19, 95% CI, 0.80–1.76). CPSE was associated more strongly with oropharyngeal cancer (a HNSCC subtype commonly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection) than with HNSCC at non-oropharyngeal sites (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.01–4.06, N = 52 cases vs. OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.68–1.60, N = 132 cases; P-for-heterogeneity = 0.08). Conclusions: Data from this large US-based case control study suggest a role for CPSE in HNSCC etiology.