Shillong, March 14: Cancer, the silent killer, comes in various types and forms. One of them is the head and neck cancer, a group of cancers that start within the mouth, nose, throat, larynx, sinuses or salivary glands.
It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, and about 90% of all head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), says a report from the World Health Organization. Squamous cell carcinoma is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells arising in the squamous cells, which compose most of the skin’s upper layers.
Studies show that in India, people from the northeastern states, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland have the highest incidence of head and neck cancers in the country.
Now, a study by researchers from the Assam University, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya; University of Kalyani, and the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati, explores some of the reasons behind this observation.
The study, published in Tumor Biology: Journal International Society for Oncology and Biomarkers, also suggest biomarkers for early, efficient and comprehensive diagnosis of HNSCC.
The researchers collected data from 50 healthy individuals and 50 individuals suffering from head and neck cancers about their age group, gender, lifestyle and tobacco-consumption habits. They then analysed this data and found that lifestyle and tobacco-consumption habits played a significant role in the incidence of cancer.
