title: Increased incidence of head and neck cancer in liver transplant recipients: a meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is unclear whether liver transplantation is associated with an increased incidence of post-transplant head and neck cancer. This comprehensive meta-analysis evaluated the association between liver transplantation and the risk of head and neck cancer using data from all available studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  PubMed and Web of Science were systematically searched to identify all relevant publications up to March 2014. Standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk of head and neck cancer in liver transplant recipients were calculated. Tests for heterogeneity, sensitivity, and publishing bias were also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 964 identified articles, 10 were deemed eligible. These studies included data on 56,507 patients with a total follow-up of 129,448.9 patient-years. SIR for head and neck cancer was 3.836-fold higher (95% CI 2.754-4.918, P = 0.000) in liver transplant recipients than in the general population. No heterogeneity or publication bias was observed. Sensitivity analysis indicated that omission of any of the studies resulted in an SIR for head and neck cancer between 3.488 (95% CI: 2.379-4.598) and 4.306 (95% CI: 3.020-5.592).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liver transplant recipients are at higher risk of developing head and neck cancer than the general population.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lifeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Institute of Toxicology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China. aihuagu@njmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Aihua
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Zhao-Yan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017594:Publication Bias; D066027:Transplant Recipients