Table 2.
Comparison of characteristics of control subjects and patients with oropharyngeal and nonoropharyngeal head and neck cancer
| Characteristic | Control subjects (n = 694) | Patients with oropharyngeal cancers (n = 164) | Univariate P* | Patients with nonoropharyngeal cancers (n = 245) | Univariate P* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis C virus antibody, No. (%) | .001 | <.001 | |||
| Negative | 649 (93.5) | 141 (86.0) | 196 (80.0) | ||
| Positive | 45 (6.5) | 23 (14.0) | 49 (20.0) | ||
| Hepatitis C virus RNA, No. (%)† | <.001 | <.001 | |||
| Negative | 649 (96.6) | 141 (89.3) | 196 (84.5) | ||
| Positive | 23 (3.4) | 17 (10.7) | 36 (15.5) | ||
| Race/ethnicity, No. (%) | .41 | <.001 | |||
| White | 567 (81.7) | 141 (86.0) | 172 (70.2) | ||
| African American | 55 (7.9) | 6 (3.7) | 23 (9.4) | ||
| Hispanic | 41 (5.9) | 14 (8.5) | 30 (12.2) | ||
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 25 (3.6) | 1 (0.6) | 18 (7.4) | ||
| Middle Eastern | 5 (0.7) | 2 (1.2) | 2 (0.8) | ||
| Native American | 1 (0.1) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Sex, No. (%) | .001 | .01 | |||
| Female | 219 (31.6) | 30 (18.3) | 56 (22.9) | ||
| Male | 475 (68.4) | 134 (81.7) | 189 (77.1) | ||
| Age at cancer diagnosis | |||||
| Median (IQR), y | 63 (56–70) | 59 (51–65) | <.001 | 59 (51–66) | <.001 |
| ≤60 years, No. (%) | 264 (38.0) | 90 (54.9) | <.001 | 142 (57.9) | <.001 |
| >60 years, No. (%) | 430 (62.0) | 74 (45.1) | 103 (42.1) | ||
| Born between 1945 and 1965, No. (%) | <.001 | .17 | |||
| No | 313 (45.1) | 44 (26.8) | 98 (40.0) | ||
| Yes | 381 (54.9) | 120 (73.2) | 147 (60.0) | ||
| Highest education level, No. (%)† | |||||
| ≤High school graduate/GED | 235 (37.0) | 28 (21.9) | <.001 | 66 (36.9) | .62 |
| Vocational/technical school, associate degree, or some college | 160 (25.2) | 27 (21.1) | 39 (21.8) | ||
| ≥Bachelor’s degree | 240 (37.8) | 73 (57.0) | 74 (41.3) | ||
| Cigarette smoking status | .02 | .92 | |||
| Never smoker, No. (%) | 142 (20.5) | 50 (30.5) | 63 (25.7) | ||
| Former smoker, No. (%) | 361 (52.0) | 76 (46.3) | 103 (42.1) | ||
| Current smoker, No. (%) | 191 (27.5) | 38 (23.2) | 79 (32.2) | ||
| Pack-years of smoking, median (IQR) | 36 (20–54) | 23.9 (12.5–40) | <.001 | 30 (15–54) | .19 |
| Pack-years of smoking, No. (%) | |||||
| 0 | 142 (20.5) | 50 (30.5) | .002 | 63 (25.7) | .72 |
| 1–25 | 186 (26.8) | 54 (32.9) | 76 (31.0) | ||
| 26–50 | 199 (28.7) | 33 (20.1) | 44 (18.0) | ||
| 51–100 | 124 (17.9) | 15 (9.2) | 38 (15.5) | ||
| >100 | 43 (6.2) | 12 (7.3) | 24 (9.8) | ||
| Alcohol consumption No. (%) | .03 | .47 | |||
| Never drinker | 167 (24.1) | 30 (18.3) | 50 (20.4) | ||
| Former drinker | 175 (25.2) | 35 (21.3) | 69 (28.2) | ||
| Current drinker | 352 (50.7) | 99 (60.4) | 126 (51.4) | ||
| Number of alcoholic drinks/wk | .002 | <.001 | |||
| 0 | 167 (24.1) | 30 (18.3) | 50 (20.4) | ||
| ≤1 | 158 (22.8) | 35 (21.3) | 46 (18.8) | ||
| 2–14 | 212 (30.6) | 41 (25.0) | 56 (22.9) | ||
| 15–28 | 67 (9.6) | 20 (12.2) | 22 (9.0) | ||
| >28 | 90 (12.9) | 38 (23.2) | 71 (29.0) | ||
| Diabetes mellitus, No. (%)† | .18 | .97 | |||
| No | 580 (83.6) | 144 (87.8) | 205 (83.7) | ||
| Yes | 114 (16.4) | 20 (12.2) | 40 (16.3) | ||
| Hepatitis B exposure, No. (%)†,‡ | .26 | .19 | |||
| No | 484 (88.2) | 129 (91.5) | 175 (84.5) | ||
| Yes | 65 (11.8) | 12 (8.5) | 32 (15.5) | ||
| HIV infection, No. (%)†,§ | .11 | .05 | |||
| No | 389 (98.7) | 106 (96.4) | 143 (96.0) | ||
| Yes | 5 (1.3) | 4 (3.6) | 6 (4.0) |
*Categorical variables were compared using Pearson’s chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test (for variables with cell numbers < 5), and continuous variables were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. All statistical tests were two-sided. GED = general equivalency diploma; IQR = interquartile range.
†For those with available data.
‡Positive for hepatitis B core antibody.
§Positive for HIV antibody.