Abstract C025: Lifestyle risk factors for oral and oropharyngeal cancers in patients attending sexually transmitted infection clinics in Puerto Rico

Abstract Introduction: Incidence of oral and oropharyngeal cancers in the United States have increased an average of 0.7% per year over the last decade. Various lifestyles increase the risk of these malignancies, including tobacco, marihuana, and alcohol use, poor oral hygiene, and a diet low in fruits and vegetables. Oral and oropharyngeal cancers are the fourth most common cancer in Puerto Rican men, a group that has shown an excess risk of death from this malignancy compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. This study assessed lifestyle risk factors for oral and oropharyngeal cancers in Hispanic patients attending sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in Puerto Rico. Methods: Data from an ongoing cross-sectional study (November 2018-present) among men and women receiving services at STI clinics in the San Juan metropolitan area of Puerto Rico was analyzed. Individuals aged 21-49 years, who are sexually active, and are HIV-negative are eligible for the study. Up to date, 72 patients have been recruited and completed all study procedures. An interviewer-administered questionnaire collects information on sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. An oral care index was created using tooth brushing and flossing following the American Dental Association (ADA) recommendations. Results: Over half of participants (52.8%) were men, and the mean age was 32 ± 7.9 years. The majority (70.8%) of participants were single, and more than half reported having public insurance (59.7%), an annual income below $20,000 (55.6%), and having had less than 10 lifetime sexual partners (55.7%). Oral and oropharyngeal cancers’ risk factors reported by participants included current tobacco use (20.8%), recent (30 days) binge drinking (55.1%), concurrent use of tobacco and alcohol use (16.7%), current marijuana use (43.1%), and vegetable consumption at least once a day (36.1%). Regarding oral health, the majority (81.9%) of the sample did not followed recommendations about oral care by ADA and only 38.0% reported visiting their dentists every six months. Persons with lowest annual household income (<$20,000) had higher prevalence of smoking (80.0% vs 49.1%), and non-adherence to ADA recommendations (61.0% vs 30.8%) as compared to their counterparts (p<0.05). Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of modifiable risk factors for oral and oropharyngeal cancers in this population, it is crucial to improve risk factor awareness and encourage behavior change. STI clinics represent an important venue for identifying at-risk populations that might benefit from cancer prevention efforts (NIDCR Grant 1R21DE027226-01A1). Citation Format: Paola M Rosado, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Jose A Vivaldi, Ana P Ortiz, Jeslie M Ramos-Cartagena, Cynthia M Pérez. Lifestyle risk factors for oral and oropharyngeal cancers in patients attending sexually transmitted infection clinics in Puerto Rico [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C025.