Familial clustering of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in the Utah population.

Background: The main purpose of the current study was to define the familial aggregation of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and risk to relatives of patients with oropharyngeal SCC.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study utilizing linked population-based genealogy and state cancer registry databases between 1966 and 2012. Relative risks for oropharyngeal SCC and other malignancies among patients with oropharyngeal SCC and their relatives were estimated.

Results: Significant excess pairwise relatedness was observed for oropharyngeal SCC diagnosed before age 65 years. Significant excess risk for oropharyngeal SCC was observed for first-degree relatives of patients. Relatives of oropharyngeal SCC patients also demonstrated elevated rates of multiple other malignancies, including both lung and cervical cancers.

Conclusion: Relatives of patients with oropharyngeal SCC display elevated risks of oropharyngeal, lung, and cervical cancers among others, suggesting a possible shared genetic etiology involving tobacco-related and human papillomavirus (HPV)-related malignancies.