Abstract 2222: Knowledge of risk factors and symptoms of head and neck cancers among Arab-Americans
Authors: Boakye Eric Adjei , Siddiqui Reem F. , Al-Antary Nada , Gilbert Marissa , Fakhoury Lamis , Vu Milkie , Siddiqui Farzan 
Published: March 2024

Background: In 2023, approximately 66000 patients with head and neck cancers (HNC) will be diagnosed in the United States (U.S.). There are approximately 3.7 million Arab-Americans living in the U.S., with large concentration in Michigan (MI). For example, Dearborn, MI has the largest percentage of Arab-Americans (40% of people having Arab ancestry). Smoking, alcohol, and human papillomavirus (HPV) are the main causes of HNC. Common symptoms of HNC are lump in the neck/mouth, nonhealing ulcers, dysphagia or odynophagia, and change in voice. Currently, there is a scarcity of research on knowledge of HNC risk factors and symptoms among Arab-Americans. We examined knowledge of risk factors and symptoms of HNC among Arab-Americans residing in MI.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of adult Arab-Americans (≥18 years) conducted between March and July 2023. Survey questions were adapted from the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and offered in English and Arabic depending on respondent preference. Awareness of the symptoms of HNCs were assessed using 14 questions while risk factors were assessed using 10 questions. The questions were in the form of “Do you know that the following can be symptoms/risk factors of HNC?” Respondents selected “yes,” “no,” or “don’t know/not sure” for each answer choice.

Results: Of the 295 Arab-Americans survey respondents, the mean age ± SD was 37.9 ± 14.6, and most were female (60.7%), had at least a college degree (57.6%), private health insurance (56.7%), and usual place of receiving care (70.7%). Majority had no history of cigarette use (81.7%) or alcohol use (91.6%). Regarding HNC symptoms knowledge, only 40-50% knew about most common HNC symptoms: nonhealing ulcers (41%), dysphagia or odynophagia (51.4%), and voice changes (48.6%); while 60.6% knew about swelling or lump in neck/throat. About half of respondents knew of persistent mass or lesion on the tongue (53.3%) and bleeding in the mouth or throat (50.3%) as symptoms of HNC. About a third knew these as HNC symptoms: teeth loosening (31.7%), ill-fitting dentures (25.9%), otalgia (37.8%), and nasal obstruction/congestion (34.9%). For HNC risk factors knowledge, tobacco smoking, chewing, and second-hand smoking were the most common recognized risk factors, identified by 78.9%, 72.8% and 66.8%, respectively. However, less than half knew HPV (40.6%) and Epstein-Barr virus (35.4%) as risk factors.

Conclusion: While there is higher knowledge about tobacco as a risk factor for HNC, knowledge about HPV as a risk factor is very low. Similarly, knowledge about HNC symptoms is suboptimal in the Arab-American community, which could result in late-stage presentation and thus lower survival. Educational programs designed for this community are needed to help close this gap and improve HNC related health outcomes among culturally and ethnically distinct Arab-Americans.

Citation Format: Eric Adjei Boakye, Reem F. Siddiqui, Nada Al-Antary, Marissa Gilbert, Lamis Fakhoury, Milkie Vu, Farzan Siddiqui. Knowledge of risk factors and symptoms of head and neck cancers among Arab-Americans [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2222.