Marijuana use and risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Previous laboratory investigations, case reports, and a hospital-based case-control study have suggested that marijuana use may be a risk factor for squamous cell head and neck cancer. We conducted a population-based case-control study to determine whether marijuana use is associated with the develo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Ill.), 2004-06, Vol.64 (11), p.4049-4054
Main Authors: ROSENBLATT, Karin A, DALING, Janet R, CHU CHEN, SHERMAN, Karen J, SCHWARTZ, Stephen M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Antineoplastic agents
Biological and medical sciences
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - etiology
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - genetics
Case-Control Studies
Female
Glutathione Transferase - genetics
Humans
Isoenzymes
Male
Marijuana Smoking - adverse effects
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Mouth Neoplasms - etiology
Mouth Neoplasms - genetics
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Polymorphism, Genetic
Risk Factors
Tumors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous laboratory investigations, case reports, and a hospital-based case-control study have suggested that marijuana use may be a risk factor for squamous cell head and neck cancer. We conducted a population-based case-control study to determine whether marijuana use is associated with the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Case subjects (n = 407) were 18-65-year-old residents of three counties in western Washington State who were newly diagnosed with OSCC from 1985 through 1995. Control subjects (n = 615), who were similar to the cases with respect to age and sex, were selected from the general population using random-digit telephone dialing. Lifetime histories of marijuana use and exposure to known OSCC risk factors were ascertained using a structured questionnaire. Information on genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase enzymes was obtained from assays on participant DNA. Odds ratios for associations with features of marijuana use were adjusted for sex, education, birth year, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking. A similar proportion of case subjects (25.6%) and control subjects (24.4%) reported ever use of marijuana (adjusted odds ratio, 0.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-1.3). There were no trends in risk observed with increasing duration or average frequency of use or time since first or last use. No subgroup defined by known or suspected OSCC risk factors (age, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and genetic polymorphisms) showed an increased risk. Marijuana use was not associated with OSCC risk in this large, population-based study.
ISSN:0008-5472
1538-7445
DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.can-03-3425