Hereditary and environmental factors associated with risk and progression of head and neck cancer

The familial occurrence of head and neck cancers supports the role of heredity in this disease group. The roles of environmental and genetic factors are difficult to separate. There are several well-characterized entities, however, that are associated with risk and prognosis of head and neck cancer, including Lynch-II syndrome, Bloom syndrome, Fanconi's anemia, xeroderma pigmentosum, ataxia telangiectasia, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Mutagen-induced chromosomal damage is associated with an increased risk of multiple primary neoplasms and upper aerodigestive tract cancers. A possible reduction of genotoxicity, mediated by micronutrients, was demonstrated in vitro. Sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei are useful exposure and disease markers. Metabolic changes (acetylation, DBQ phenotype, and the AH locus polymorphism) have been found to be associated with cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract. Most associations between histocompatibility antigens and solid tumors are relatively weak, probably because of the masking effects of environmental factors. Infections by HPV, EBV, and HSV have a causative or predisposing role in several types of head and neck cancer. Amplification and rearrangement of oncogenes may also play a role in carcinogenesis, and oncogene amplification may be associated with aggressive tumor behavior and unfavorable clinical prognosis. Ploidy of tumors seems to be an important determinant of survival and response to therapy.