H1-antihistamine use and head and neck cancer risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Oncol Res. 2023 Mar 1;31(1):23-34. doi: 10.32604/or.2022.028449. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the association between the use of H1-antihistamines (AHs) and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan were analyzed for the period from 2008 to 2018. A propensity-score-matched cohort of 54,384 patients each in the AH user and nonuser groups was created and analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression. The results showed that the risk of HNC was significantly lower in AH users (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.64) and the incidence rate was also lower (5.16 vs. 8.10 per 100,000 person-years). The lower HNC incidence rate in AH users (95% CI: 0.63; 0.55 to 0.73) suggests that AH use may reduce the risk of HNC in T2DM patients.

Keywords: H1-Antihistamine; Head and neck cancer; Incidence; Incidence rate; Type 2 diabetes.

MeSH terms

  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / complications
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / drug therapy
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / epidemiology
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms* / epidemiology
  • Histamine Antagonists
  • Humans

Substances

  • Histamine Antagonists