Areca Nut and Oral Cancer: Evidence from Studies Conducted in Humans

Abstract

Areca nut chewing is one of the major risk factors for oral cancer, with large-magnitude risks reported in studies comparing betel quid chewers and never users, and it has been evaluated as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Data from a high-quality meta-analysis examining risk estimates are presented in summary form with additional information from more recent studies (pooled adjusted relative risk, 7.9; 95% CI, 7.1 to 8.7). The risk of oral cancer increases in a dose-response manner with the daily number of quids consumed and the number of years chewing. In the Indian subcontinent and in Taiwan, approximately half of oral cancers reported are attributed to betel quid chewing (population attributable fraction, 53.7% for residents in Taiwan and 49.5% for the Indian population), a disease burden that could be prevented. Oral leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis are 2 main oral potentially malignant disorders caused by areca nut chewing that can progress to oral cancer with continued use. Ex-chewers seem to demonstrate lower risks than current chewers, but the impact of areca nut cessation on oral cancer risk has not been scientifically evaluated on the basis of randomized controlled studies. These data strongly reconfirm that betel quid chewing, primarily areca nut use, should be taken into account in assessing the cancer risk of South Asian, East Asian populations and Pacific Islanders for the development of oral cancer.