Martins, Beatriz Nascimento Figueiredo LebreDos Santos, Erison SantanaFonseca, Felipe PaivaWilliam, Jr William NassibDe Oliveira, Thiago BuenoMarta, Gustavo NaderChaves, Aline Lauda FreitasPrado-Ribeiro, Ana CarolinaAyo-Yusuf, Olalekan AbdulwahabCurado, Maria PaulaSaes, Alexandre MacchioneKowalski, Luiz PauloSantos-Silva, Alan Roger2025-02-042025-02-042024-03Martins, B.N.F.L., Dos Santos, E.S., Fonseca, C.B. et al. 2024, 'The impact of colonialism on head and neck cancer in Brazil : a historical essay focussing on tobacco, alcohol and slavery', The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, vol. 31, art. 100690, pp. 1-9. https://DOI.org/10.1016/j.lana.2024.100690.2667-193X10.1016/j.lana.2024.100690http://hdl.handle.net/2263/100503THE USE OF AI AND AI-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGIES STATEMENT : AI and AI-assisted technologies, specifically ChatGPT/OpenAI, were employed in the refinement of this manuscript to enhance clarity and streamline the textual structure. Following the utilization of these tools, the authors meticulously reviewed and edited the content, assuming full responsibility for the final publication. OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 language model was used on December 28, 2023.Colonialism’s enduring impact on Brazil has had significant implications for health and oncology outcomes. This historical essay delves into the profound changes brought about by the transatlantic slave trade from Africa to the Americas, particularly in terms of its influence on the economy, sociocultural habits, and health outcomes. This essay explores the enduring connections between the colonial period’s operational dynamics in Brazil and the current epidemiological panorama of head and neck cancer (HNC). The examination provides original insights on the role of tobacco and alcohol production and consumption, alongside the investigation of structural racism, which contributes to disparities in access to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for patients with HNC. This article presents novel visions and an analysis of evidence-based strategies to disrupt the adverse impact of colonialism’s legacy on the epidemiology of HNC in Brazil.en© 2024 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.CancerHead and neck neoplasmsEpidemiologyEthnicityPrognosisMortalityTobaccoAlcoholColonialismBrazilSDG-03: Good health and well-beingArticle