Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between coffee consumption and oral and pharyngeal cancers

Oral and pharyngeal cancers are major contributors to global cancer-related morbidy and mortality. Caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee may influence carcinogenesis through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects. Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies published through February 2026 evaluated the association between coffee consumption and the risk of oral and pharygeal cancer. Twenty studies were included. Higher coffee consumption was associated with significantly lower risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer (pooled estimate 0.57; 95% CI 0.49-0.66) with moderate heterogeneity (I²=46.0%). The inverse association remained consistent across regions, study designs, and cancer subgroups. Egger’s test showed no significant small-sudy effects (p=0.166), and sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of results. The authors conclude that in this analysis, higher coffee consumption was associated with reduced risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer. However, causal inference is limited by the observational nature of included studies and variability in exposure assessment.