"There are 2 major risk factors for the development of [head and neck] SCC in the United States: exogenous carcinogens (namely tobacco and alcohol exposure) and infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV)."

Michael B. Prystowsky (2015) Emerging Concepts in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine: November 2015, Vol. 139, No. 11, pp. 1332-1333.

SPECIAL SECTION—HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

Emerging Concepts in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Michael B. Prystowsky, MD, PhD

From the Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.

"In addition to anatomic differences, the carcinogenesis models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are growing more detailed as we gain a growing understanding of the causative agents and of the genetic factors of both the tumor and the patient. There are 2 major risk factors for the development of SCC in the United States: exogenous carcinogens (namely tobacco and alcohol exposure) and infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV)."