Association between oral cavity cancer and metabolic syndrome

Purpose Few studies have been conducted on the association between oral cavity cancer and metabolic diseases. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between oral cavity cancer and metabolic diseases. Methods This cohort study used the database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service, which contains medical data of 97% of the Korean population. Oral cavity cancer occurred in a total of 2718 patients. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to IDF criteria. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used. Results The HR for oral cavity cancer in patients with metabolic syndrome was 1.113(95% CI 1.006–1.232), which was significantly higher than that in normal patients, especially in males ( p = 0.0386). When the number of metabolic syndrome factors was ≥ 3, the HR of oral cavity cancer was 1.191(95% CI 1.026–1.383), which was significantly higher than that of 0 metabolic syndrome factors, especially in males ( p = 0.0218). When the number of metabolic syndrome factors was ≥ 3, the HR for oral cavity cancer was 1.439(95% CI 1.066–1.942), which was significantly higher than that of 0 metabolic syndrome factors, especially in males aged < 50 years ( p = 0.0173). Conclusion Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of oral cavity cancer only in males. In addition, the incidence of oral cavity cancer increased as the number of factors constituting metabolic syndrome increased, only in young males aged < 50 years. Thus, metabolic syndrome is an important risk factor for oral cavity cancer, particularly in young males.