humulene and Pharyngeal-Neoplasms

For both genders, cancer of the mouth and pharynx ranks sixth overall in the world; it is also the third most common site among males in developing countries. In industrialized countries, men are affected two to three times as often as women, largely due to higher use of alcohol and tobacco. Ethnicity strongly influences prevalence due to social and cultural practices, as well as socioeconomic differences. In population terms, survival rates around the world show little improvement. In terms of etiology, the effects of tobacco use, heavy alcohol consumption, and poor diet together explain over 90 percent of cases of head and neck cancer. All forms of tobacco represent risk factors for oral cancer, but on present evidence, snuff habits as they exist in Scandinavia and probably in the United States carry lower risks of serious health hazards, including oral cancer. Alcohol synergizes with tobacco as a risk factor for all upper aerodigestive tract SCC: this is super-multiplicative for the mouth, additive for the larynx, and between additive and multiplicative for the esophagus. The increase in oral cancer in the Western world has been related to rising alcohol use.

Topics: Alcohol Drinking; Areca; Cannabis; Carcinogens; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Diet; Female; Global Health; Humans; Incidence; Male; Mouth Mucosa; Mouth Neoplasms; Nicotiana; Pharyngeal Neoplasms; Plants, Medicinal; Plants, Toxic; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Smoking; Tobacco, Smokeless

Marijuana smoke contains cannabinoids, immunosuppressants, and a mixture of potentially-mutagenic chemicals. In addition to systemic disease, it is thought to contribute to oral disease, such as tooth loss, tissue changes in the gums and throat, and possibly oral pharyngeal cancer. We used a cross-sectional study of 20 marijuana users and 19 control non-users, to determine if chronic inhalation-based exposure to marijuana was associated with a distinct oral microbiota at the two most common sites of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the lateral border of the tongue and the oral pharynx. At the tongue site, genera earlier shown to be enriched on HNSCC mucosa, Capnocytophaga, Fusobacterium, and Porphyromonas, were at low levels in marijuana users, while Rothia, which is found at depressed levels on HNSCC mucosa, was high. At the oral pharynx site, differences in bacteria were distinct, with higher levels of Selenomonas and lower levels of Streptococcus which is what is seen in HNSCC. No evidence was seen for a contribution of marijuana product contaminating bacteria to these differences. This study revealed differences in the surface oral mucosal microbiota with frequent smoking of marijuana.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Bacteria; Cannabis; Female; Humans; Male; Marijuana Smoking; Microbiota; Middle Aged; Mouth Mucosa; Mouth Neoplasms; Pharyngeal Neoplasms; Pilot Projects; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck