Head and neck cancer risks: The role combined alcohol and tobacco use plays

Anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer is regarded as a risk factor. While risk factors generally affect the growth of cancer, these do not necessarily result in cancer. Two of the substances that heavily affect the chances of a person contracting head and neck cancer are alcohol and tobacco use.

Eighty-five percent of head and neck cancers are related to tobacco use. Smoking cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, using snuff, and chewing tobacco are kinds of tobacco use, the sole greatest risk factor head and neck cancer. Secondhand smoke may affect a person’s chance of contracting head and neck cancer. According to Dr. Paolo Boffetta, an individual’s prognosis, or the possibility of recovery, is affected by the amount of tobacco use.

Heavy and frequent alcohol uses increases the risk of contracting cancer in the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, and larynx. Tobacco use, combined with alcohol consumption, raises a person’s risk even more. In a journal written by Dr. Paolo Boffetta and other doctors, they concluded that the joint outcome between tobacco and alcohol consumption is greater than multiplicative on head and neck cancer risk. One must stop the use of all tobacco products to reduce the risk.

Nonetheless, a considerable proportion of head and neck cancers cannot be credited to alcohol or tobacco use, specifically for oral cavity cancer and head and neck cancers in premature on-set cases and women.

Throughout his career, Dr. Paolo Boffetta wrote more than 1,300 scientific articles and 80 book chapters. He has contributed significantly to the understanding of the role of occupation, environment, alcohol, smoking, and nutrition in disease development. Visit this blog for similar reads.