Tobacco Smoke Increases Risk Of Oral HPV Cancers

Countless studies and health reports have discussed the dangers of smoking--a nasty habit that can drastically increase the risk of lung cancer and other serious health issues. Now, recent findings published in the The Journal of the American Medical Association show that smoking can also increase the risk of developing oral human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16).

"These findings highlight the need to evaluate the role of tobacco in the natural history of oral HPV-16 infection and progression to malignancy," the study authors noted, in a news release.

For the study, researchers found higher levels of biomarkers in tobacco exposure via HPV-16, can increase the risk of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers. Furthermore, they found that HPV rates were higher more cigarettes a person smokes.

For their research, the study authors examined data from 6,887 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), analyzed links between objective biomarkers reflective of all current tobacco exposures (environmental, smoking, and use of smoke¬less tobacco) and oral HPV-16 prevalence.

Participants between the ages of 14 and 69 were assessed on oral HPV DNA testing and given questionnaires via their tobacco use and sexual behaviors; tobacco use was defined as anyone who used a nicotine product with the past five days.

The tobacco biomarkers included serum cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite, and urinary 4- (methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), a tobacco¬specific, carcinogenic metabolite.

In conclusion, the researchers discovered that tobacco users were more likely to be male, younger, less educated and have had a higher number of lifetime oral sexual partners.