Identification of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) genetic variants that modify risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

•EGFR polymorphisms were associated with HNSCC risk in a large case–control population.•One EGFR variant was associated with tobacco-related risk.•Three EGFR variants were associated with tobacco-independent risk.•Tobacco-independent SNPs were intronic and resided near putative enhancer elements.•Our study underscores the importance of risk factor subset analyses.