Gamma-glutamyltransferase and the risk of head and neck cancer mortality.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to determine the association between baseline serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels and the mortality risk of head and neck cancers. METHODS A total of 481,414 Korean participants aged 40-79 years at enrollment were examined. The hazard ratios for head and neck cancer (HNC) mortality were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models, which were adjusted for potential confounding factors. RESULTS In the overall study population, high GGT levels were significantly associated with HNC mortality in a dose-response linear relation (P < .001). After excluding participants (n = 125) who died of HNC within five years of enrollment, the main results remained similar to those of the analysis of all 313 HNC deaths in the study population. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that serum GGT activity is positively associated with an increased mortality risk in HNC in a dose-dependent manner.