What Causes Head and Neck Cancers?

 

The two main causes of head and neck cancer are:

  • Tobacco use - an estimated 80 percent to 90 percent of people with head and neck cancers use tobacco (this includes smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, and dipping snuff)

  • Frequent and heavy alcohol use 

The combined use of tobacco and alcohol heightens the risk of developing head and neck cancer even more.  Learn more about risk factors for specific cancers by visiting those topics. 

What Causes Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancers?
This content was last modified on April 28, 2008 .
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