It’s no secret that air pollution is linked to lung disease and cancer, but a new study sheds light on the significant role of pollution when it comes to head and neck cancer.

Mass General Brigham researchers found that air pollution is linked to higher rates of head and neck aerodigestive cancer.

“Although there has been substantial research investigating the effects of air pollutants on lung disease, few studies have focused on exposure to air pollution as a risk factor for the upper respiratory tract, including the development of head and neck cancer,” said the study’s lead author , Stella Lee. .

“These findings shed light on the significant role of environmental pollution in cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, highlighting the need for further awareness, research and mitigation efforts,” added Lee, who is with Center for Surgery and Public Health and the division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham Health Care System.

The study, “Air Pollution Exposure and Head and Neck Cancer Incidence,” is the work of a multi-institutional collaboration with researchers from Mass General Brigham, Johns Hopkins University and Wayne State University.

“Environmental health and personal health are inextricably linked,” said co-author Amanda Dilger of the Center for Surgery and Public Health and Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

“Our study highlights the need to improve air quality standards to reduce the risk of developing cancer, including head and neck cancer,” added Dilger.

The research was led by John Cramer, associate professor of otolaryngology, and John Peleman, medical resident in the department of otolaryngology at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

“There has been previous research on air pollution, but the effects have mostly been related to cancers of the lower respiratory system,” Cramer said. “Head and neck cancer is a harder link to show and has a much lower incidence than lung cancers, but since they also occur as a result of smoking, similar to lung cancers, we wanted to explore any link.

“Probably the link to head and neck cancer comes from what we breathe in that material that affects the lining of the head and neck,” Cramer added. “We see a lot of situations where carcinogens touch or accumulate in the body, where cancers can occur.”

Their research used data from the US National Epidemiologic Surveillance and End Results Cancer Database from 2002 to 2012.

Cramer noted the largest association between this type of pollution exposure with head and neck cancer after a five-year lag period.

They focused on PM2.5, which is particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 microns, and its effect on the incidence of aerodigestive head and neck cancer.