Differences in history of sexual behavior between patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and patients with squamous cell carcinoma at other head and neck sites.
BACKGROUND
An emerging epidemic of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer has been proposed. The purpose of this study was for us to compare the sexual behaviors of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (SCCOP) and patients with squamous cell carcinoma of non-oropharyngeal (SCCNOP) head and neck sites to expand our understanding of sexual behavior as a risk factor for HPV-associated head and neck cancer.


METHODS
The sexual history of 165 patients with SCCOP and 87 patients with SCCNOP was determined in a hospital-based case-to-case comparison study.


RESULTS
Patients with SCCOP were significantly more likely than patients with SCCNOP to have had >9 lifetime sex partners (odds ratio [OR], 39.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 8.2-187.3), to have engaged in oral-genital sex (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.1-11.1), and to have had >4 oral-genital sex partners (OR, 8.6; 95% CI, 2.2-33.4).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study suggest that some risk factors are site-specific and provide further evidence that certain sexual behaviors increase the risk of HPV-associated SCCOP.
Dahlstrom
Kristina R
KR
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Li
Guojun
G
Tortolero-Luna
Guillermo
G
Wei
Qingyi
Q
Sturgis
Erich M
EM
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology