Interesting headline: Marijuana abuse: a hidden cancer risk?

Top line:

Cannabis-related illnesses are associated with a more than three-fold increased risk of head and neck cancer. The study analyzed data from more than four million patients and highlighted the substance's potential carcinogenic effects.

Methodology:

• The researchers analyzed data from TriNetX, a globally federated health research network that includes more than 90 million men and women from 64 US medical centers.
• The analysis included over 4.1 million patients, of which 116,076 were diagnosed with a cannabis-related disorder and 3.9 million were without the disorder. Cannabis-related disorders involve excessive cannabis use and associated psychosocial symptoms, including impairments in social and occupational functioning.
• Patients with cannabis-related disorders were matched to patients without the disorder based on demographic characteristics, alcohol-related disorders, and smoking.
• The primary outcome was diagnosis of head and neck cancer, including subsites such as oral cavity, oropharynx, nasopharynx, larynx, hypopharynx, and salivary gland malignancies.
• Propensity score matching and Poisson regression analysis were used to compare head and neck cancer incidence rates between groups.

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• According to the researchers, patients with cannabis-related illnesses had a higher risk of head and neck cancer (relative risk [RR]3.49; 95% CI, 2.78-4.39).
• The cannabis-related disease group also had a higher risk of certain cancers, including oral cavity cancer (RR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.81-3.47) and oropharyngeal cancer (RR, 4.90; 95% CI, 2.99-8.02).
• The RR of laryngeal cancer was significantly higher in patients with cannabis-related illness (RR, 8.39; 95% CI, 4.72-14.90).
• The findings suggest that cannabis use disorder is associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer and highlight the need for further research to understand the mechanisms involved.

Exercise:

“In this cohort study, a diagnosis of cannabis disorder was independently associated with an increased risk of subsequent development of any disorder. [head or neck cancer] Cancers of various sites in the head and neck have also been reported among adults in the United States. [such cancers] “Many of the associations increased when they occurred more than one year after a cannabis use disorder diagnosis, demonstrating even greater strength of association,” the study authors wrote.

“The association between cannabis and head and neck cancer in this study spans a 20-year period during which use has increased dramatically. If this association is causal, [head and neck cancers] “Cannabis-related deaths will continue to increase, perhaps dramatically.” editorial A statement accompanying the journal article reads: “Cannabis is now a $20 billion industry in the United States alone, and given its growing availability, use, and popularity, without proper research to understand cannabis's potential carcinogenicity and health benefits, this may be 'déjà vu all over again.' Or, in the words of Yogi Berra, 'If you don't know where you're going, you may end up somewhere else.'”

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The study was led by Tyler J. Gallagher, PhD, and Niels C. Kokott, PhD, of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. online August 8, 2024, JAMA Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery.

Limitations:

This study has limited information on the composition of the cohort and follow-up period, which may affect the generalizability of the study findings. The lack of direct exposure duration, intensity, and dosage information limits the ability to analyze dose-response relationships. Potential discrepancies in diagnoses and reliance on medical record codes may introduce bias. Cannabis use may have been under-reported, potentially reducing the relative risks found. The study is further limited by the lack of information on the amount and frequency of cannabis use and several controls, including alcohol and tobacco use.

Disclosure:

Gallagher disclosed that he has received grant funding from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Additional disclosures are listed in the original article.

This article was created using multiple editorial tools, including AI as part of the process; a human editor reviewed this content before publishing.