TY - JOUR
T1 - Cocaine use and head and neck cancer risk
T2 - A pooled analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium
AU - Zhang, Mingyan
AU - Chen, Chu
AU - Li, Guojun
AU - Koric, Alzina
AU - Lee, Yuan Chin Amy
AU - Morgenstern, Hal
AU - Schwartz, Stephen M.
AU - Sturgis, Erich M
AU - Boffetta, Paolo
AU - Hashibe, Mia
AU - Zhang, Zuo Feng
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Background: Cocaine is an illegal recreational drug used worldwide, yet little is known about whether cocaine inhalation (smoking/snorting) increases the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods: The analyses were conducted by pooling data from three case–control studies with 1639 cases and 2506 controls from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Epidemiologic data, including cocaine use histories, were obtained in face-to-face interviews. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using hierarchical logistic regression models. Results: Controlling for cumulative tobacco and alcohol use, we observed a weak positive association between cocaine use and HNC (ORever vs. never = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.90). In stratified analysis, while we did not detect associations among never tobacco or alcohol users due to the limited sample size, the association with cocaine use was observed among tobacco users and alcohol drinkers. ORs for ever and high cumulative use (>18 times) versus never use were 1.40 (95% CI: 0.98, 2.00) and 1.66 (95% CI: 1.03, 2.69) among tobacco users, and 1.34 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.92) and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.00, 2.51) among alcohol drinkers, respectively. Conclusion: In this pooled analysis, we observed a weak positive association between cocaine inhalation and HNC risk. Our findings provide preliminary evidence of the potential carcinogenic effect of cocaine on HNC. Because of study limitations, including limited number of cocaine users, confounding, and heterogeneity across studies, future investigations will require larger studies with more detailed information on cocaine use history.
AB - Background: Cocaine is an illegal recreational drug used worldwide, yet little is known about whether cocaine inhalation (smoking/snorting) increases the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods: The analyses were conducted by pooling data from three case–control studies with 1639 cases and 2506 controls from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Epidemiologic data, including cocaine use histories, were obtained in face-to-face interviews. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using hierarchical logistic regression models. Results: Controlling for cumulative tobacco and alcohol use, we observed a weak positive association between cocaine use and HNC (ORever vs. never = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.90). In stratified analysis, while we did not detect associations among never tobacco or alcohol users due to the limited sample size, the association with cocaine use was observed among tobacco users and alcohol drinkers. ORs for ever and high cumulative use (>18 times) versus never use were 1.40 (95% CI: 0.98, 2.00) and 1.66 (95% CI: 1.03, 2.69) among tobacco users, and 1.34 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.92) and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.00, 2.51) among alcohol drinkers, respectively. Conclusion: In this pooled analysis, we observed a weak positive association between cocaine inhalation and HNC risk. Our findings provide preliminary evidence of the potential carcinogenic effect of cocaine on HNC. Because of study limitations, including limited number of cocaine users, confounding, and heterogeneity across studies, future investigations will require larger studies with more detailed information on cocaine use history.
KW - cancer prevention
KW - cocaine inhalation
KW - drug use
KW - head and neck cancer
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U2 - 10.1002/cam4.7019
DO - 10.1002/cam4.7019
M3 - Article
C2 - 38400665
AN - SCOPUS:85186255513
SN - 2045-7634
VL - 13
JO - Cancer medicine
JF - Cancer medicine
IS - 3
M1 - e7019
ER -