BACKGROUND Hepatitis B and C viruses are known to be carcinogenic and have been associated with the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as well as hepatocellular carcinoma. The incidence of head and neck cancer is increasing worldwide, and early diagnosis is vital in order to achieve good oncological outcomes. OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between chronic hepatitis B and C infection, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). STUDY DESIGN We performed a retrospective case control study with 774 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients undergoing treatment, and 1518 cancer-free controls undergoing hernia surgery. Hepatitis B and C serologies were tested prior to treatment, and cases and controls were age- and sex-matched before analysing rates of infection. RESULTS HNSCC patients were more likely than controls to have evidence of chronic hepatitis B (OR = 2.76; CI 95 %, 1.64-4.64) and hepatitis C (OR = 2.59; 95 % CI, 1.46-4.60) infection. No substantial association was found between hepatitis B and C infection and other known risk factors for head and neck cancer. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest a positive association between both hepatitis B and hepatitis C chronic infection, and HNSCC. More work is needed to establish a causal role, however an awareness of the possibility of increased risk of HNSCC may lead to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes in patients with hepatitis B and C.

中文翻译：

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丙型和乙型肝炎病毒与头颈部鳞状细胞癌之间的关联。

背景技术已知乙型和丙型肝炎病毒是致癌的，并且与非霍奇金淋巴瘤以及肝细胞癌的发展有关。在全球范围内，头颈癌的发病率正在增加，为了获得良好的肿瘤学结果，早期诊断至关重要。目的探讨慢性乙型和丙型肝炎感染与头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）之间的关系。研究设计我们对774例接受治疗的头颈鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）患者和1518例接受了疝气手术的无癌对照进行了回顾性病例对照研究。在治疗前对乙型和丙型肝炎血清学进行了测试，并在分析感染率之前对病例和对照进行了年龄和性别匹配。结果HNSCC患者比对照组更有可能感染慢性乙型肝炎（OR = 2.76； CI 95％，1.64-4.64）和丙型肝炎（OR = 2.59； 95％CI，1.46-4.60）。乙型和丙型肝炎感染与其他已知的头颈癌危险因素之间没有发现实质性关联。结论这些发现表明，乙型肝炎和丙型肝炎慢性感染与HNSCC之间存在正相关。建立因果关系还需要做更多的工作，但是，对于HNSCC风险增加的可能性的认识可能会导致B和C型肝炎患者的早期诊断和更好的结局。乙型和丙型肝炎感染与其他已知的头颈癌危险因素之间没有发现实质联系。结论这些发现表明，乙型肝炎和丙型肝炎慢性感染与HNSCC之间存在正相关。建立因果关系还需要做更多的工作，但是，对于HNSCC风险增加的可能性的认识可能会导致B和C型肝炎患者的早期诊断和更好的结局。乙型和丙型肝炎感染与其他已知的头颈癌危险因素之间没有发现实质联系。结论这些发现表明，乙型肝炎和丙型肝炎慢性感染与HNSCC之间存在正相关。建立因果关系还需要做更多的工作，但是，对于HNSCC风险增加的可能性的认识可能会导致B和C型肝炎患者的早期诊断和更好的结局。