During a retrospective case-control study of recent laryngeal cancer patients, several associated factors were studied to determine possible changes in the epidemiology of laryngeal cancer between 1956 and 1974. The large sex difference noted i n the early survey (male: female ratio of 14.9:l) diminished considerably in the present sample (4.6: 1) because more women are cigarette smokers in the cancer age group today than was the case 20 years ago. Laryngeal cancer patients tended to be less educated than the controls a n d included a smaller proportion of Jews and more Catholics than the control group. The risk for developing laryngeal cancer was considerably lower for exsmokers and long-term (lo+ years) filter cigarette smokers as compared with non-filter smokers. At each level of alcohol consumption, the risk increased as exposure to tobacco increased. Occupations associated with wood exposure were found to affect the development of laryngeal cancer, independently of smoking status. Future studies should include a n extensive study of nutritional deficiencies associated with alcoholism to determine if a correlation exists between such deficiencies, socioeconomic status, and a n increased risk of laryngeal cancer.
Cancer 38:1591-1601, 1976.
P1I)EMIOLOGIC STUDIES IIAVE S I I O W Y A RE1 A-
E lionship between excessive tobacco usage and laryngeal cancer. T h e risk of developing cancer of the larynx has been shown to be significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers and the risk has been related to amount and type of tobacco consumed. 5*6,15*16 A study in 1956 showed that without smoking, both glottir and supraglottic laryngeal cancer would be exceedingly rare. 23 T h e study also demonstrated that excessive alcohol consumption in the presence of tobacco use is an additional etiologic factor, particularly in supraglottic cancer. Similar results of smoking and alcohol consumption have been reported elsewhere. 5 9 6 3 1 1 This paper presents data obtained on associated factors in recent laryngeal cancer patients and reviews current epidemiologic data, with a discussion of the implications for prevention of From the Division of Epidemiology, Naylor Dana lnstitutc for Disease Prevention, American Health Foundation, New York.