Cannabis Users Face Higher Risk Of Head And Neck Cancer: U.S. Study

A cohort study of 116,076 individuals revealed that people with cannabis use disorder have an increased risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), including oral, oropharyngeal, nasopharyngeal, salivary gland, and laryngeal cancer, compared with a group of matched individuals.

A site-specific analysis revealed that those with cannabis-related disorders had a higher risk of oral, oropharyngeal, and laryngeal cancer.

The findings were reported by JAMA Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery.

The study, conducted by Tyler J. Gallagher, Ryan S. Chung, Matthew E. Lin, Ian Kim, and Niels C. Kokot, suggests that patients with cannabis-related disorders may face higher HNC risks.

However, the authors noted that further studies are required to explore the strength and potential mechanisms of this association and to possibly devise means to counter the increased risk.

This large multicenter cohort study utilized clinical records from a database that included 20 years of data (through April 2024) from 64 healthcare organizations.

The database was searched for medical records of US adults with and without cannabis-related disorders who had recorded outpatient hospital clinic visits and no prior history of HNC.

A site-specific analysis revealed that those with cannabis-related disorders had a higher risk of oral, oropharyngeal, and laryngeal cancer. The results were consistent across both older and younger age groups.