Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Medical University Brandenburg, Campus Ruppiner-Kliniken, Neuruppin, Germany;
Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Klinikum Maria Hilf, Mönchengladbach, Germany.
Anticancer Res. 2021 Mar;41(3):1157-1161. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.14872.
BACKGROUND/AIM: While in many Western countries the number of tonsillectomies decreases significantly, there is an increasing incidence of oropharyngeal carcinomas. For, obviously, removal of the tonsils will reduce individual risk for tonsil cancer, the question of tonsillectomy as a prevention strategy is suggested. This study focused on this question by carrying out a literature research.
A literature research was performed (www.pubmed.gov; Search words: tonsillectomy, oropharyngeal cancer, tonsil cancer, prevention) without applying additional filters.
Out of the 16 identified studies, three population-based studies were evaluated. Individual incidence of tonsil cancer is significantly lower after removal of tonsils; however, risk elimination by tonsillectomy has not been proven. One of the studies revealed increasing numbers of base of the tongue cancer after previous tonsillectomy.
The increase in oropharynx carcinomas can currently be attributed not to the decreasing tonsillectomy rates, but to the increase in HPV infections. A previous tonsillectomy reduces the individual risk of developing tonsil carcer. Tonsillectomy as prevention for oropharyngeal cancer cannot be recommended and may even be a disadvantage concerning base of the tongue cancers.
背景/目的：在许多西方国家，扁桃体切除术的数量显著减少，但口咽癌的发病率却在上升。显然，切除扁桃体将降低个体患扁桃体癌的风险，因此提出了扁桃体切除术作为预防策略的问题。本研究通过文献研究来关注这个问题。
进行了文献研究（www.pubmed.gov；搜索词：扁桃体切除术、口咽癌、扁桃体癌、预防），未应用其他过滤器。
在确定的 16 项研究中，评估了 3 项基于人群的研究。扁桃体切除术后扁桃体癌的个体发病率明显降低，但扁桃体切除术的风险消除尚未得到证实。其中一项研究显示，先前的扁桃体切除术后，舌底癌的数量增加。
目前，口咽癌的增加不能归因于扁桃体切除术的减少，而是 HPV 感染的增加。先前的扁桃体切除术降低了个体患扁桃体癌的风险。扁桃体切除术不能作为预防口咽癌的方法，甚至可能对舌底癌不利。
