Skip Navigation

Publication Detail

Title: Body mass index and risk of head and neck cancer by race: the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Study.

Authors: Petrick, Jessica L; Gaudet, Mia M; Weissler, Mark C; Funkhouser, William K; Olshan, Andrew F

Published In Ann Epidemiol, (2014 Feb)

Abstract: Most studies, primarily conducted in populations of European ancestry, reported increased risk of head and neck cancer (HNC) associated with leanness (body mass index [BMI] <18.5 kg/m(2)) and decreased for overweight or obesity (25.0 to <30.0 and >30 kg/m(2), respectively), compared with normal weight (18.5 to <25.0 kg/m(2)).The Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Study is a population-based, racially diverse case-control study of 1289 incident HNC cases (330 African Americans) and 1361 controls (261 African Americans). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for associations between BMI 1 year prediagnosis and HNC risk stratified by race and adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, and education.Multiplicative interaction between BMI and race was evident (Pint = .00007). Compared with normal weight, ORs for leanness were increased for African Americans (OR, 3.91; 95% CI, 0.72-21.17) and whites (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.60-3.65). For overweight and obesity, ORs were decreased in African Americans (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.32-0.83 and OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.28-0.79, respectively) but in not whites. The increased risk associated with leanness was greater for smokers than nonsmokers (Pint = .02).These data, which require replication, suggest that leanness is associated with increased HNC risk among African Americans to a greater extent than whites and overweight and obesity is associated with decreased HNC risk only among African Americans.

PubMed ID: 24342030 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Adult; African Americans/statistics & numerical data*; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body Mass Index*; Case-Control Studies; European Continental Ancestry Group/statistics & numerical data*; Female; Head and Neck Neoplasms/ethnology*; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; North Carolina/epidemiology; Odds Ratio; Overweight/epidemiology*; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Thinness/epidemiology*; Young Adult

Back
to Top