A NEW STUDY EXPLORES HOW TOBACCO EXPOSURE INDUCES MUTAGENESIS IN HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Tobacco smoke, alone or combined with alcohol, is the predominant cause of head and neck cancer (HNC)

The study published in the journal Nature, explores how tobacco exposure contributes to cancer development by mutational signature analysis of 265 whole-genome sequenced HNC samples from eight countries. Six tobacco-associated mutational signatures were detected, including some not previously reported.

Epidemiological studies in Europe and America suggest that seven out of ten HNC cancers are caused by preventable behavioral risk factors, with tobacco use, either alone or in combination with alcohol, accounting for most cases. Conversely, alcohol use on its own is responsible for only 4% of the disease burden, suggesting a limited effect on HNC burden. This raises the question of whether alcohol acts as an independent carcinogen or simply enhances the known carcinogenic effect of tobacco.
The analysis of mutational signatures is an effective tool to track the complex mutagenic patterns linked to this and other exposures over a patient’s lifetime. Certain mutational signatures have been related to well-established biological mechanisms and exposures. Signatures SBS4, found predominantly in lung cancer, and SBS92, in bladder cancer, capture two distinct mutagenic processes linked to tobacco use. Conversely, signature SBS16 has been attributed to alcohol consumption in esophageal and liver cancer.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02134-0