A Systematic Review on Relationship Between Head and Neck Cancer Associated to Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

A general inverse association between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and cancer development has been found in epidemiological studies. A growing body of eclectic evidence, however, points to an association between PD and cancer in different ethnic groups and across different time periods. Head and neck cancers (HNC) are frequently associated with neurodegeneration. The relationship between HNC and PD remains unclear. It was the aim of this study to clarify the relationship between HNC and subsequent PD. The review included different papers which screened 4365 individuals without HNC and 1054 individuals with HNC who were matched on sociodemographic factors. HNC are more likely to develop PD in the future. People with HNC and oral cavity cancer who were middle-aged had a higher risk of PD. We found that middle-aged patients with HNC are more likely to develop PD, especially those with oral cavity cancers. Reviewing recent epidemiological and biological findings regarding the association between PD and cancer, we offer insight into the sometimes-contradictory findings.