According to data derived from the World Health Organization’s Global Cancer Observatory, head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most common type of cancer globally. HNC affects cells lining the mucosal surfaces of the head and neck, and, as food and drink come into frequent contact with these parts of the body, HNC has multiple dietary risk factors, including smoking and alcohol consumption. Though coffee is known to contain antioxidants thought to prevent cancers, its role in HNC development has been unclear due to inconsistent study results. In research published in December 2024 in Cancer, Timothy Nguyen and colleagues utilised a larger sample size, using data from 14 studies, to assess the relationship between coffee consumption and HNC risk. The study found that higher quantities of caffeinated coffee consumed were associated with a reduced risk, with drinking more than four cups a day being linked to a 17% decreased risk of HNC compared to not drinking coffee at all.
To observe the effects of coffee consumption on HNC risk, this study utilised pooled data from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium, a collaboration of research groups focusing specifically on HNC. The 14 case-control studies pooled together were from Europe, North America, and Latin America. Data were collected using study-specific questionnaires assessing sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, including the recall of prior coffee (caffeinated and decaffeinated) consumption, measured in cups per day/week/month/year. These measurements were then standardized into nondrinker, >0, <3 cups, 3–4 cups, and >4 cups per day for caffeinated coffee; and nondrinker, >0 to ≤1 cup, and ≥1 cup per day for decaffeinated coffee. HNC cases were included in the analysis if they were classified as oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, laryngeal or oral cavity cancer. In total, 9,548 HNC cases and 15,783 controls were included in the study. Overall, the risk of HNC for caffeinated coffee drinkers did not differ compared to non-coffee drinkers; however, the amount of coffee consumed seemed to have an impact. Drinking 3–4 cups of caffeinated coffee a day was associated with a 41% decreased risk of hypopharyngeal cancer compared to non-drinkers, while drinking >4 cups was associated with decreased risks of 17%, 22%, and 30% for HNC, oropharyngeal, and oral cavity cancer, respectively. For decaffeinated coffee drinkers, only the risk of oral cavity cancer was reduced, with the overall risk being 25% lower than non-drinkers.
This study by Nguyen and colleagues illustrates that high levels of caffeinated coffee consumption offer a protective effect against HNC and its associated cancers. However, it is important to note that the type of coffee consumed was not acknowledged, and the self-reporting of coffee consumption may be unreliable. GlobalData epidemiologists forecast that, in the 16 major markets (16MM: US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, China, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea), diagnosed prevalent cases of HNC in men and women aged 18 years and older will increase from 2.16 million cases in 2025 to 2.42 million cases in 2030.
