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Marijuana and Head and Neck Cancer

  • Chapter
Drugs of Abuse, Immunity, and AIDS

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 335))

Abstract

Although head and neck cancer comprises only 5 to 7% (1) of human cancer, the devastating functional, psychosocial, and cosmetic affects as a result of standard therapy has delegated special importance to these tumors. Eighty-five percent of head and neck tumors have a squamous cell carcinoma histology and characteristically grow slowly with eventual regional lymphatic spread to cervical lymph nodes. Distant metastasis (below the clavicles) occurs in a late or more advanced stage and is generally considered incurable. Squamous cell carcinoma occurs in the mucosal lining of the upper aerodigestive tract including larynx, hypopharynx, oropharynx, oral cavity, nasopharynx and nose. Early cancers may be cured with radiation therapy or conservative surgical procedures. Advanced cancers without distant metastasis may require wide-field resection with post-operative radiation for cure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Otolaryngology, University of South Florida, P.O. Box 280179, Tampa, FL, 33618, USA

    James N. Endicott, Paulette Skipper & Lizette Hernandez

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  1. James N. Endicott
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  2. Paulette Skipper
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  3. Lizette Hernandez
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Herman Friedman , Thomas W. Klein  & Steven Specter ,  & 

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Endicott, J.N., Skipper, P., Hernandez, L. (1993). Marijuana and Head and Neck Cancer. In: Friedman, H., Klein, T.W., Specter, S. (eds) Drugs of Abuse, Immunity, and AIDS. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 335. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2980-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2980-4_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6297-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-2980-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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