Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) was the 7th most common malignancy worldwide in 2018 and despite therapeutic advances, the overall survival rate for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC; ∼50%) has remained unchanged for decades. The most common types are OSCC and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC, survival rate ∼85%). Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor of HNSCC. In the developed world, the incidence of OSCC is declining as a result of tobacco cessation programs. However, OPSCC, which is also linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, is on the rise and now ranks as the most common HPV-related cancer. The current state of knowledge indicates that HPV-associated disease differs substantially from other types of HNSCC and distinct biological differences between HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC have been identified. Although risk factors have been extensively discussed in the literature, there are multiple clinically relevant questions that remain unanswered and even unexplored. Moreover, existing approaches (e.g., tobacco cessation, vaccination, and chemoprevention) to manage and control this disease remain a challenge. Thus, in this review, we discuss potential future basic research that can assist in a better understanding of disease pathogenesis which may lead to novel and more effective preventive strategies for OSCC and OPSCC.

中文翻译：

---

预防口腔和口咽癌的综合方法：具有不同和共同致癌机制的两种病因

头颈部鳞状细胞癌 (HNSCC) 是 2018 年全球第七大最常见的恶性肿瘤，尽管治疗取得了进展，但口腔鳞状细胞癌 (OSCC；~50%) 的总生存率几十年来一直保持不变。最常见的类型是 OSCC 和口咽鳞状细胞癌（OPSCC，存活率约 85%）。吸烟是 HNSCC 的主要危险因素。在发达国家，由于戒烟计划，OSCC 的发病率正在下降。然而，也与人乳头瘤病毒 (HPV) 感染有关的 OPSCC 呈上升趋势，现在已成为最常见的 HPV 相关癌症。目前的知识状态表明 HPV 相关疾病与其他类型的 HNSCC 有很大不同，并且已经确定了 HPV 阳性和 HPV 阴性 HNSCC 之间的明显生物学差异。尽管文献中已经广泛讨论了风险因素，但仍有多个临床相关问题仍未得到解答，甚至未得到探索。此外，管理和控制这种疾病的现有方法（例如，戒烟、疫苗接种和化学预防）仍然是一个挑战。因此，在这篇综述中，我们讨论了未来潜在的基础研究，这些研究可以帮助更好地了解疾病的发病机制，从而为 OSCC 和 OPSCC 提供新的和更有效的预防策略。