What causes cancer of the head and neck?

Cancers of the head and neck are more common in men and older people.

In some cases (for example, salivary gland cancers, sarcomas and lymphomas) the causes are unknown. Squamous cell carcinomas are much more common in smokers and people who drink a lot of alcohol – especially people who do both.

Other risk factors include the following:

• Pipe smokers and people who hold cigarettes between their lips for long periods have a higher risk of cancers in the lip area
• People who have long periods of sun exposure in their daily life have an increased risk of cancer of the lip and the skin of the head and neck, especially the ear
• People who chew tobacco or betel nuts and those who use pahn have a higher risk of cancers in the oral cavity
• Breathing in certain chemicals and hardwood dusts (for example, in workplaces) increases the risk of cancers of the nose and sinuses

Nasopharyngeal cancer may be connected with a viral infection known as Epstein-Barr virus. This is a very common virus to which we are all exposed as children.

In some people it may cause glandular fever, but in others it may also lead to nasopharyngeal cancer.

In the UK nasopharyngeal cancer is very rare. However, people of Chinese origin seem to be at particular risk of developing this cancer after infection with the virus and nasopharyngeal cancer is very common in southern China and Hong Kong.

It is not yet known why the same virus can cause a simple infection in some people and cancer in others.

Most head and neck cancers are not caused by an inherited faulty gene, so members of your family are not likely to be at higher risk of developing head and neck cancer because you have it.

If someone with head and neck cancer has a relative who also has cancer this is more likely to be due to similar lifestyles and habits (such as smoking) than genetically inherited cancer risk.