Dr. Neal Freedman, of the NCI, and co-investigators analyzed data from 476,211 men and women prospectively followed from 1995 to 2000 to assess gender differences in risk for cancer in specific head and neck sites.

The analysis showed that the risk of smoking leading to any type of head and neck cancer was significantly greater in women than in men. While 45 percent of the cancers could be attributed to smoking in men, 75 percent could be attributed to smoking in women, reported the study published in the Oct. 1 journal of Cancer, available online.

"Incidence rates of head and neck cancer were higher in men than in women in all categories examined but smoking was associated with a larger relative increase in head and neck cancer risk in women than in men," Freedman said in a statement.