biostudies-literatureConway DIIntramural NIH HHSNIDCR NIH HHSNIDA NIH HHSNIEHS NIH HHSFIC NIH HHSNational Cancer InstituteNCI NIH HHSNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research1125-39https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC4531373biostudies-literatureUnknown136(5)Low socioeconomic status has been reported to be associated with head and neck cancer risk. However, previous studies have been too small to examine the associations by cancer subsite, age, sex, global region and calendar time and to explain the association in terms of behavioral risk factors. Individual participant data of 23,964 cases with head and neck cancer and 31,954 controls from 31 studies in 27 countries pooled with random effects models. Overall, low education was associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer (OR = 2.50; 95% CI = 2.02 - 3.09). Overall one-third of the increased risk was not explained by differences in the distribution of cigarette smoking and alcohol behaviors; and it remained elevated among never users of tobacco and nondrinkers (OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.13 - 2.31). More of the estimated education effect was not explained by cigarette smoking and alcohol behaviors: in women than in men, in older than younger groups, in the oropharynx than in other sites, in South/Central America than in Europe/North America and was strongest in countries with greater income inequality. Similar findings were observed for the estimated effect of low versus high household income. The lowest levels of income and educational attainment were associated with more than 2-fold increased risk of head and neck cancer, which is not entirely explained by differences in the distributions of behavioral risk factors for these cancers and which varies across cancer sites, sexes, countries and country income inequality levels.International journal of cancerEstimating and explaining the effect of education and income on head and neck cancer risk: INHANCE consortium pooled analysis of 31 case-control studies from 27 countries.PMC4531373R01 DE013158R03 DE016611P50 CA090388T32 CA009142R01ES011740U01 CA096134U01CA096134P50CA090388R01 ES011740P30ES010126R01 DE013110R01CA030022R01DE013158K07 CA104231R01DA011386R03CA113157P30 ES010126R03 CA113157NIH FIRCA TW01500R01CA061188R03CA077954T32CA009142R01CA078609R21 ES011667R01 CA100679R03 CA077954R01 DA026815R01 CA048996R01 CA100264R01 CA078609R01CA100264R03DE016611R01DE012609R01 CA090731R01CA90731R01 DA011386R01 CA030022P01CA068384K07CA104231R21ES011667R01DA026815R01CA100679P01 CA068384R03 TW001500R01CA051845DE016631NIDCR R01DE11979NIDCRR01DE13110R01 DE016631Agudo ALa Vecchia CAhrens WCurioni OABosetti CMerletti FHolcatova IMorgenstern HMatos ESzeszenia-Dabrowska NKjaerheim KLagiou PLazarus PWinn DMConway DIHealy CMSchwartz SMMacpherson LMBrennan PCurado MPDal Maso LDaudt AWBrenner DRMacfarlane TVChen CEdefonti VHayes RBOlshan AFZheng TCastellsague XSturgis EMTalamini RBrenner HBoffetta PChuang SCRudnai PGillison MMuller HHashibe MLevi Fde Gois Filho JFRamroth HSchantz SMates DMcMahon ADFranceschi SMenvielle GMcClean MKoifman SWei QYu GPThomson PGhodrat MWunsch-Filho VLuce DMoysich KZnaor AFernandez LMuscat JSimonato LStucker IVaughan TLPurdue MPSmith ED'Souza GJayaprakash VMenezes AMRichiardi LZhang ZFLissowska JShangina OKelsey KAmy Lee YCHerrero RFabianova EfalseEstimating and explaining the effect of education and income on head and neck cancer risk: INHANCE consortium pooled analysis of 31 case-control studies from 27 countries.Low socioeconomic status has been reported to be associated with head and neck cancer risk. However, previous studies have been too small to examine the associations by cancer subsite, age, sex, global region and calendar time and to explain the association in terms of behavioral risk factors. Individual participant data of 23,964 cases with head and neck cancer and 31,954 controls from 31 studies in 27 countries pooled with random effects models. Overall, low education was associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer (OR = 2.50; 95% CI = 2.02 - 3.09). Overall one-third of the increased risk was not explained by differences in the distribution of cigarette smoking and alcohol behaviors; and it remained elevated among never users of tobacco and nondrinkers (OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.13 - 2.31). More of the estimated education effect was not explained by cigarette smoking and alcohol behaviors: in women than in men, in older than younger groups, in the oropharynx than in other sites, in South/Central America than in Europe/North America and was strongest in countries with greater income inequality. Similar findings were observed for the estimated effect of low versus high household income. The lowest levels of income and educational attainment were associated with more than 2-fold increased risk of head and neck cancer, which is not entirely explained by differences in the distributions of behavioral risk factors for these cancers and which varies across cancer sites, sexes, countries and country income inequality levels.2015-01-01T00:00:00Z2015 Mar2025-06-26T03:05:08.176Z2025-06-26T03:05:08.176ZS-EPMC45313732499615510.1002/ijc.29063