Aspirin intake and head and neck cancer: A pooled analysis within the INHANCE consortium

Michele Sassano; Martina Taborelli; Stefania Boccia; Gabriella Cadoni; Carlo La Vecchia; Werner Garavello; Philip Lazarus; Yuan-Chin Amy Lee; Mia Hashibe; Paolo Boffetta

doi:10.1002/hed.27638

Aspirin intake and head and neck cancer: A pooled analysis within the INHANCE consortium

Head Neck. 2024 Apr;46(4):926-935. doi: 10.1002/hed.27638. Epub 2024 Jan 16.

Authors

Michele Sassano^{1

2}, Martina Taborelli³, Stefania Boccia^{2

4}, Gabriella Cadoni^{5

6}, Carlo La Vecchia⁷, Werner Garavello⁸, Philip Lazarus⁹, Yuan-Chin Amy Lee¹⁰, Mia Hashibe¹⁰, Paolo Boffetta^{1

11}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
² Section of Hygiene, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
³ Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, Aviano, Italy.
⁴ Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health - Public Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
⁵ Dipartimento Scienze dell'Invecchiamento, Neurologiche, Ortopediche e della Testa-Collo, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
⁶ Dipartimento Patologia Testa Collo e Organi di Senso, Facoltà Medicina e Chirurgia, Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy.
⁷ Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
⁸ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
⁹ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA.
¹⁰ Division of Public Health, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
¹¹ Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.

PMID: 38229229
DOI: 10.1002/hed.27638

Abstract

Background: Aspirin intake might be inversely associated with head and neck cancer (HNC). Thus, we investigated this relationship within the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium.

Methods: Four case-control studies within the INHANCE consortium were included (2024 cases, 4196 controls). Study-specific odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression and subsequently pooled with DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. Nonlinearity of the relationship between duration of intake and HNC was modeled with fractional polynomials.

Results: Aspirin was inversely associated with HNC overall (OR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.91). Results for laryngeal cancer were similar (OR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.96). Analysis on duration of intake confirmed findings for HNC overall, showing also inverse associations for oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer.

Conclusions: This study suggests that aspirin intake may reduce the risk of HNC, driven mainly by decreases in risk for laryngeal and oropharyngeal cancer.

Keywords: aspirin; case-control; consortia; head and neck cancer.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis

MeSH terms

Case-Control Studies
Head and Neck Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Head and Neck Neoplasms* / prevention & control
Humans
Laryngeal Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Oropharyngeal Neoplasms*
Risk Factors

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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