Electronic Cigarettes and Head and Neck Cancer Risk-Current State of Art

Marta Szukalska; Krzysztof Szyfter; Ewa Florek; Juan P Rodrigo; Alessandra Rinaldo; Antti A Mäkitie; Primož Strojan; Robert P Takes; Carlos Suárez; Nabil F Saba; Boudewijn J M Braakhuis; Alfio Ferlito

doi:10.3390/cancers12113274

Electronic Cigarettes and Head and Neck Cancer Risk-Current State of Art

Cancers (Basel). 2020 Nov 5;12(11):3274. doi: 10.3390/cancers12113274.

Authors

Marta Szukalska¹, Krzysztof Szyfter², Ewa Florek¹, Juan P Rodrigo^{3

4}, Alessandra Rinaldo⁵, Antti A Mäkitie^{6

7

8}, Primož Strojan⁹, Robert P Takes¹⁰, Carlos Suárez⁴, Nabil F Saba¹¹, Boudewijn J M Braakhuis¹², Alfio Ferlito¹³

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Environmental Research, Department of Toxicology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-631 Poznan, Poland.
² Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland.
³ Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias-University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
⁴ Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, CIBERONC, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
⁵ University of Udine School of Medicine, 33100 Udine, Italy.
⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 HUS Helsinki, Finland.
⁷ Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
⁸ Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska Hospital, 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden.
⁹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Institute of Oncology, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
¹⁰ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
¹¹ Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
¹² Member of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, 35100 Padua, Italy.
¹³ Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, 35100 Padua, Italy.

Abstract

E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular in the last decade and are considered less harmful than traditional tobacco products due to the lower content of toxic and carcinogenic compounds. However, this is still a controversial issue. This paper contains a review of previous reports on the composition of e-cigarettes and their impact on the pathogenesis and risk of head and neck cancer (HNC). The objective of the review was to compare the molecular and health effects of e-cigarette use in relation to the effects of traditional cigarette smoking in the upper respiratory tract, and to assess the safety and effect of e-cigarettes on HNC risk. A review for English language articles published until 31 August 2020 was made, using a PubMed (including MEDLINE), CINAHL Plus, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science data. The authors reviewed articles on both toxic and carcinogenic compounds contained in e-cigarettes and their molecular and health effects on the upper respiratory tract in comparison to tobacco cigarettes. The risk of developing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains lower in users of e-cigarettes compared with tobacco smokers. However, more long-term studies are needed to better address the safety of e-cigarettes.

Keywords: carcinogenic compounds; electronic cigarettes; head and neck cancer; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; toxicity.

Publication types

Review