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The association of lifetime physical inactivity with head and neck cancer: a hospital-based case–control analysis

  • Head and Neck
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Abstract

Despite mounting epidemiological evidence suggesting an inverse association between recreational physical activity and cancer risk, evidence associated with head and neck cancer is scant. We conducted a case–control analysis to examine the associations of lifetime physical inactivity with the risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We utilized data from the Patient Epidemiology Data System at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). Participants included 246 patients with HNSCC and 504 cancer-free controls who received medical services at RPCI between 1990 and 1998. Participants were considered physically inactive if they did not participate in any regular, weekly recreational physical activity throughout their lifetime, prior to diagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) representing the association between lifetime physical inactivity and HNSCC risk. We observed a significant positive association between recreational physical inactivity and HNSCC risk (OR = 2.73, 95% CI 1.87–3.99, p < 0.001). In subgroup analyses by body mass index (BMI) (underweight/normal-weight: OR = 3.40, 95% CI 1.89–6.12, p < 0.001; overweight/obese: OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.43–4.02, p < 0.001) and smoking status (former smoker: OR = 3.12, 95% CI 1.89–5.14, p < 0.001; never smoker: OR = 2.71, 95% CI 1.21–6.05, p = 0.020; current smoker: OR = 1.61, 95% CI 0.66–3.95, p = 0.300), significant positive associations were also observed. Results of the current analyses suggest that lifetime physical inactivity associates with HNSCC independent of BMI. In addition, physical inactivity may be a modifiable risk factor among never smokers. These data add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that physical inactivity may be an independent risk factor for cancer.

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Abbreviations

HNSCC:

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

HPV:

Human papilloma virus

BMI:

Body mass index

RPCI:

Roswell Park Cancer Institute

PEDS:

Patient epidemiology data system

PAQ:

Physical activity questionnaire

SAS:

Statistical analysis system

OR:

Odds ratio

CI:

Confidence interval

IgA:

Immunoglobulin A

INHANCE:

International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Alexis J. Platek and Rikki A. Cannioto contributed equally as first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, 352 Carlton House, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA

    Alexis J. Platek, Rikki A. Cannioto, John Lewis Etter, Janine M. Joseph, Nicholas R. Gulati, Kristina L. Schmitt, Emily Callahan, Edgar Khachatryan, Ryan Nagy, Albina Minlikeeva & Kirsten B. Moysich

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 1237 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14209, USA

    Jae Kim & Iris Danziger

  3. Department of Gynecology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA

    J. Brian Szender

  4. Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA

    Anurag K. Singh

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  1. Alexis J. Platek
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  2. Rikki A. Cannioto
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  3. John Lewis Etter
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  9. Edgar Khachatryan
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  11. Albina Minlikeeva
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  12. J. Brian Szender
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  15. Kirsten B. Moysich
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kirsten B. Moysich.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

The RPCI Institutional Review Board approved the conduct of this study, and all participants provided informed consent.

Funding

Kirsten B. Moysich was supported by New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH C019286). Nicholas R. Gulati, Kristina L. Schmitt, and Ryan Nagy were supported by the Roswell Alliance Foundation. J. Brian Szender was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH 5T32CA108456).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Platek, A.J., Cannioto, R.A., Etter, J.L. et al. The association of lifetime physical inactivity with head and neck cancer: a hospital-based case–control analysis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 274, 3773–3780 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4688-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4688-3

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