Tobacco and Alcohol Use and Clinical Staging of Head and Neck Tumors

Objective:  To determine the relationship between tobacco and alcohol consumption and staging of head and neck cancer in patients treated at a referral hospital for cancer treatment.  Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on medical records of patients with head and neck cancer treated between 2008 and 2015. The following variables were considered: gender, age, marital status, educational level, place of residence, profession, affected site, clinical staging of neoplasms, histopathological diagnosis, tobacco and alcohol consumption .  Results: Of the 154 medical records analyzed, there was predominance of male patients (72.7%), single (50%), with low education (88.1%), rural workers (38.3%), residents in the state countryside (70.2%) and aged 20-94 years. T3 and T4 size tumors prevailed. Significant correlation was found between alcohol use and tumor size (p=0.03) and presence of nodules (p<0.001), as well as between alcohol use and smoking with tumor size (p=0.04) and presence of nodules (p=0.019). No correlations were observed between tobacco use and injury staging. Conclusion:  There was strong significance between tumor size and presence of nodules, both with the use of alcohol alone and with tobacco, thus suggesting the existence of important carcinogenic action of this substance.