Oral and pharyngeal cancer risk associated with occupational carcinogenic substances: Systematic review

Abstract

Background Oral and pharyngeal cancers (OPC) represent the seventh most common type of cancer and the seventh leading cause of deaths by cancer worldwide. Few studies have assessed the occupational exposure risks associated with OPC and in many cases the results are conflicting. The aim of this study was to determine, through a systematic review, the association of OPC and exposure to different occupational carcinogenic substances. Methods The addressed focused question was “Is there an association of occupational carcinogenic substances with OPC?” PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science databases were searched between January 1995 up to and including July 2016 using the keywords “oral cancer,” “pharyngeal cancer,” “pharyngeal neoplasms,” “oral neoplasms,” “occupational disease,” “occupational exposure,” and “occupational risk factor” in various combinations. Letters to the Editor, review articles, case reports, and unpublished articles were excluded. Results Fourteen original articles were included. Majority of the studies were conducted in European countries and used a case‐control design. The results showed a significant association between formaldehyde, wood dust, coal dust, asbestos, welding fumes, and risk of developing OPC, while marginal association was observed with metal and leather dust. No associated risk was observed for textile fibers. Conclusion There is some evidence to suggest associations of occupational substances with OPC, particularly in the pharynx. Future well‐designed studies are required to confirm or rule out with confidence the associated exposure risk of these substances.

Bacteriome and mycobiome and bacteriome-mycobiome interactions in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…Betel quid chewing, which is popular in India and other Asian countries, has also been shown to increase the risk of HNSCC (mainly oral cancer) [9]. Occupational exposure to substances such as wood dust, coal dust, welding fumes, asbestos and formaldehyde has been reported to promote the development of HNSCC [10]. HNSCC can also be the result of germline mutations, with Fanconi anemia being the most well-known example Research Paper [11,12].…”

Chrysotile fibers in tissue adjacent to laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in cases with a history of occupational asbestos exposure

“…In addition to mesothelioma and lung cancer, asbestos has also been implicated as a risk factor for cancers involving the upper airway, in particular laryngeal and pharyngeal SCC (4,(12)(13)(14); however, the evidence thus far has been primarily based on epidemiologic data from observational studies. Therefore, the goal of this study was to strengthen the existing evidence implicating asbestos as a risk factor for pharyngeal and/or laryngeal SCC via confirmation of persistent asbestos fibers in epithelial tissue surrounding laryngeal and pharyngeal SCC in cases with a history of occupational asbestos exposure.…”

Effects of Heavy Metal Exposure on Shipyard Welders: A Cautionary Note for 8-Hydroxy-2′-Deoxyguanosine

“…Welding fumes are recognized as a group 1 carcinogen in humans because numerous studies have reported an increased risk of lung cancer due to such fumes [3,4]. In addition, chronic welding fume exposure has been reported to exhibit a relationship with lung cancer in welders with no or mild smoking habits [5], as well as pharynx and larynx cancer [6,7,8].…”