Prevention, Causes, and Risk Factors for Head and Neck Cancer

There are a number of different factors that can increase your risk of head and neck cancer. These include using tobacco, drinking alcohol, and being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), among others.

Not everyone who is diagnosed with head and neck cancer has a known risk factor. Sometimes there is no clear reason why the disease develops.

Learn more about the risk factors for head and neck cancer.

Tobacco
Tobacco use includes both smoking and smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco). People who are exposed to secondhand smoke are also at a greater risk of head and neck cancer.

If you smoke or chew tobacco, you can reduce your risk of head and neck cancer — and the risk to those around you — by stopping now. If you’ve been diagnosed with throat cancer or are in treatment, it’s not too late to quit.

Alcohol
Drinking alcohol is major risk factor for head and neck cancer.

Tobacco and Alcohol Together
The combination of tobacco and alcohol use increases the risk of head and neck cancer even more than either of the two alone. Studies have shown that people who use tobacco and alcohol together have a substantially greater risk of mouth cancer than people who only smoke or who only drink. 

HPV 16 and HPV 18
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is most commonly associated with cervical cancer. There is, however, a strong link between HPV infection and head and neck cancer. This is particularly strong in relation to cancer that begins in the oropharynx (the middle part of the throat). In fact, HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is the fastest-growing type of head and neck cancer in the United States.

Betel Quid and Gutka
People who chew betel quid or gutka, which are more common in India, have an increased risk of head and neck cancer.

Radiation Exposure
A history of radiation in the head and neck area increases the risk of salivary gland cancer and thyroid cancer.

Age
Some cancers, like those that begin in the mouth, can take years to develop. For example, most people diagnosed with mouth cancer are over 40. The average age of diagnosis is 60.

People diagnosed with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, on the other hand, tend to be younger.