Incidence of head and neck cancers may increase with exposure to air pollution

Investigators examined whether air pollution could be associated with head and neck cancers.

In a study published in Scientific Reports, the investigators used county-level data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results national cancer database to conduct an epidemiologic analysis. They analyzed outcomes in more than 600 counties across 11 states between 2002 and 2012.

The investigators found correlations between exposure to fine particulate matter and aerodigestive non-oropharyngeal sites, oral cavity and laryngeal cancers.

They indicated that further subgroup analyses may be needed to better understand the relationship between fine particulate matter exposure and head and neck cancer pathogenesis.

Read more: Scientific Reports

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