Smoking 'harms survival' in HPV neck cancer patients

March 10, 2010 - PRLog -- Smoking 'harms survival' in HPV neck cancer patients

Head and neck cancer patients who smoke have worse survival outcomes than those who do not have the habit, particularly if their condition is linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV), it has been claimed.

A new study conducted by specialists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center show that head and neck cancer patients who have a high risk of developing HPV, which causes cervical and uterus cancer, should avoid smoking.

Senior study author Dr Thomas Carey, professor of otolaryngology and pharmacology, and co-director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, pointed out that people who have had head and neck cancer are also five times more likely to suffer recurrences if they smoke.

"Because the effect of HPV is so strong in giving a very good prognostic picture, we were surprised to find that smoking remained a huge issue, and it actually affected the outcome in patients who smoked," he said.

Results of the study, which included 124 patients, appear in the February 15th issue of Clinical Cancer Research and show that, of the HPV-positive patients who had never used tobacco, six per cent had a recurrence of their cancer. Meanwhile, 19 per cent of former tobacco users and 35 per cent of current smokers had a recurrence.

Dr Carey stated that HPV-positive head and neck cancers tend to be more responsive to chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which has led to researchers wondering whether the therapy doses could be reduced in this group of patients.

"If we decide to reduce intensity of treatment, our study shows we will want to take tobacco use into account. Any smoking or tobacco use increases the risk of recurrence or a second primary cancer," the expert said.

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