Chromosomal aberrations in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma do not vary based on severity of tobacco/alcohol exposure

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) have been causally associated with tobacco and alcohol exposure. However, 10-15% of HNSCC develop in absence of significant carcinogen exposure. Several lines of evidence suggest that the genetic composition of HNSCC varies based on the extent of tobacco/alcohol exposure, however, no genome wide measures have been applied to address this issue. We used comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to screen for the genetic aberrations in 71 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and stratified the findings by the status of tobacco/alcohol exposure. Results: Although the median number of abnormalities (9), gains (6) and losses (2) per case and the overall pattern of abnormalities did not vary significantly by the extent of tobacco/alcohol exposure, individual abnormalities segregating these patients were identified. Gain of 1p (p = 0.03) and 3q amplification (p = 0.05) was significantly more common in patients with a history of tobacco/alcohol exposure. Conclusions: This data suggests that the overall accumulated chromosomal aberrations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are not significantly influenced by the severity of tobacco/alcohol exposure with limited exceptions.