Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatments have been based on single or multimodal therapies with surgery, radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. However, treatment recommendations among countries may differ due to technological/human resources and usual local practices. This scoping review aims to identify, compare, and map the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for treating squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx worldwide. A search strategy on global CPGs for HNC was performed by using five electronic databases and grey literature. CPGs were selected for inclusion using EndNote-20 and Rayyan online software. No language or publication date restrictions were applied. The results were analyzed descriptively considering the most updated CPG version. In total, 25 CPGs covering the head and neck region (10), the larynx (7), the oral cavity (5), and the oropharynx (3), were found in 13 geographical regions, and 19 were developed by medical societies from 1996 to 2023. Surgery and RT remain the main modalities for early-stage HNC, with surgery preferred in low-resource countries, and RT in selected cases, especially in the larynx/oropharynx aiming to achieve a cure with organ preservation. Human papillomavirus infection for oropharyngeal SCC is not tested in some Asian countries and there is still no consensus to treat p16-positive cases differently from p16-negative. Recommendations for larynx preservation vary according to facilities in each country, however, individualized choice is emphasized. Inequality across countries/continents is evident, with a similar pattern of recommendations among developed as well as developing ones. No CPGs were found in Latin America as well as Oceania countries, where the incidence of HNC is high and limitations of access to treatment may be encountered.

Background: Phenolic compound consumption may have a protective effect against gastric cancer (GC). Most GC studies focus on the flavonoids class, but results are conflicting and knowledge gaps remain for other classes and total polyphenol intake. This study aimed to assess the association between polyphenol intake (total, flavonoids, and other classes) and GC. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, LILACS, Web of Science, and OpenGrey databases were searched for studies published up to 20 March 2022. Case–control and cohort studies analyzing the association between polyphenol intake and GC were included. For the meta-analysis, pooled summary estimates were calculated using a random-effects model, and the estimates extracted adjusted for most variables. Subgroup analyses were performed for subclass (e.g., flavonoids and other classes), sex, geographical area, study design, anatomical subtype, histological subtype, family history of GC and fruit and/or vegetable intake. The study was registered with PROSPERO (#CRD42022306014). Findings: The search identified 2752 records, of which 19 studies published during the period 1999–2021 including a total of 1,197,857 subjects were eligible. Polyphenol consumption reduced GC risk by 29% (RR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.62–0.81; I² = 60.5%); while flavonoid intake decreased GC risk by 28% (RR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.61–0.85; I² = 64.3%), similar to the reduction fort other classes (RR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.54–0.79; I² = 72.0%). Protective effects against GC were observed in both sexes (male, RR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.67–0.94, I² = 31.6%; female, RR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.48–0.87, I² = 49.7%) and for intestinal subtype (RR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.52–0.82, I² = 0.0%). By continent, polyphenol consumption reduced GC risk in both Europe (RR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.57–0.79, I² = 44.2%) and Asia (RR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.51–0.89, I² = 60.7%). Conclusions: Dietary polyphenol intake decreased GC risk. The reduction was greatest in females. Most previous studies were carried out in Europe and Asia. Further studies investigating polyphenol consumption and GC in Latin American populations are warranted.

Background: Few studies have evaluated the association between diet-related inflammation and gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) and evidence is scarce in Brazil. This study evaluated the association between a pro-inflammatory diet and GA. Methods: A multicenter case–control study was conducted in Brazil. A total of 1645 participants—492 cases, 377 endoscopy controls, and 776 hospital controls—were included. Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII^TM) scores were derived from a validated food frequency questionnaire. We used binary and multinomial logistic regression models for the analysis of total GA, and its subtypes (cardia and non-cardia, intestinal, and diffuse histological subtypes). Results: In cases versus endoscopy controls, a pro-inflammatory diet, estimated by higher E-DII scores, was associated with a higher risk GA (OR_Q4vsQ1: 2.60, 1.16–5.70), of non-cardia GA (OR: 2.90, 1.06–7.82), and diffuse subtype (OR: 3.93, 1.59–9.70). In cases versus hospital controls, higher E-DII scores were associated with a higher risk of GA (OR: 2.70, 1.60–4.54), of cardia GA (OR: 3.31, 1.32–8.24), non-cardia GA (OR: 2.97, 1.64–5.39), and both intestinal (OR: 2.82, 1.38–5.74) and diffuse GA (OR: 2.50, 1.54–5.11) subtypes. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with an increased risk of GA in Brazil. E-DII requires the inclusion of sodium due to its importance in carcinogenesis.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the socioeconomic inequality related to lung cancer mortality rates and trends between 2000 and 2015 according to gender in Brazil. We retrieved the death records for cases of lung cancer (ICD-10 C33 C34) from 2000 to 2015 in adults age 30 years and older in Brazilian Regions from official databases (DATASUS) and corrected for ill-defined causes. The Prais-Winsten regression method and Pearson correlation were applied. The results were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05. The correlation between the lung cancer mortality rates and the HDI decreased when the rates for the first and last years of the historical series were compared in men (r = 0.77; r = 0.58) and women (r = 0.64; r = 0.41). However, the correlation between the trends in the lung cancer mortality rates and the HDI was negative in men (r = − 0.76) and women (r = − 0.58), indicating larger reductions (or smaller additions) among the Federative Units with the highest HDI, in contrast to trends reflecting a greater increase in those with the lowest HDI. Our results suggest a relevant inequality in the trends of mortality from lung cancer in Brazil.

The oral cavity is a link between of external environment with gastrointestinal tract. Studies are controversial on the presence of Periodontal Disease (PD) and its association with Gastric Adenocarcinoma (GAC). The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to verify the association between PD and GAC. Six electronic databases were evaluated between 1961 and 2022. Titles and abstracts were reviewed independently according to the eligibility criteria, assessing full texts of selected studies. The quality of the included research was verified using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for case-control and cohort studies. Statistical analyses were performed based on fixed and/or random effects models to calculate the summarized Relative Risk (RR) and its 95 % Confidence Interval (95 % CI). There were 639 studies, of which nine articles were included (3 case-controls and 6 cohorts). Overall, the authors identified 1,253 cases of GAC 2,501 controls in case-control studies, and 1,631 patients with GAC enrolled in cohort studies. Patients presenting PD increased the risk of developing GAC by 17 % (RR=1.17; 95 % CI 1.03‒1.32), which remained regardless of the diagnostic method for PD, i.e., clinical examination (RR = 1.19; 95 % CI 1.14‒1.24) and self-report (RR = 1.34; 95 % CI 1.06‒1.69). Moreover, Asian patients (RR=1.17; 95 % CI 1.00‒1.36) with PD had a higher risk of having GAC than American and European patients (RR = 1.18; 95 % CI 0.84‒1.66). The presence of PD the risk of GAC suggesting that its infectious-inflammatory process of PD may be related to GAC development. Further investigations on the oral-gastric microbiota and its role in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer should be carried out, and the screening of patients with potential risk for GAC should be considered in the clinical practice of dentists.

There are scarce epidemiological studies on lung cancer mortality in areas exposed to asbestos in developing countries. We compared the rates and trends in mortality from lung cancer between 1980 and 2016 in a municipality that made extensive use of asbestos, Osasco, with rates from a referent municipality with lower asbestos exposure and with the rates for the State of São Paulo. We retrieved death records for cases of lung cancer (ICD-9 C162) (ICD-10 C33 C34) from 1980 to 2016 in adults aged 60 years and older. The join point regression and age-period-cohort models were fitted to the data. Among men, there was an increasing trend in lung cancer mortality in Osasco of 0.7% (CI: 0.1; 1.3) in contrast to a mean annual decrease for Sorocaba of -1.5% (CI: −2.4; −0.6) and a stable average trend for São Paulo of -0.1 (IC: −0.3; 0.1). Similar increasing trends were seen in women. The age-period-cohort model showed an increase in the risk of death from 1996 in Osasco and a reduction for Sorocaba and São Paulo State during the same period. Our results point to a need for a special monitoring regarding lung cancer incidence and mortality in areas with higher asbestos exposure.