Quit Smoking

Frequently I search for new interesting researches taken on cancer by scientists.

Recently I’ve found something on this theme – doctors from Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center claim that patients with head or neck cancer, who once smoked or if they are current tobacco users, linked to human papillomavirus, known as HPV, have much worst outcomes of their cancer.

Scientists stress that in this case people with neck or head cancer need much more aggressive treatment, no matter if they are former or current smokers.

The problem is cancer recurrence. People with HPV-positive tumors are 5 times more likely to have their cancer recur.

Study author Thomas Carey, Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology and pharmacology, co-director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program at the Comprehensive Cancer Center says that because the effect of HPV is so strong in giving a good prognostic picture, they were surprised that smoking still remains a great issue to affect the outcome.

One hundred twenty-four people with advanced oropharyngeal cancer were taken. They had HPV DNA in their tumors, in which was HPV that is a major factor in oropharyngeal cancer development. Twenty-two of the HPV-negative patients were tobacco users, and about two-thirds of the 102 HPV-positive patients were tobacco users – former or current.

Here are results: 6% of those who had never been tobacco users had a recurrence, while 19% among former smokers and 35% of current tobacco users.

In my opinion, this is not the only thing about smoking that can be connected with cancer – this two have much more in common. Smoking plays great role not only in development, but also in appearance of cancer within the smokers group.