Environmental factors in cancer of the larynx.A second look

TLDR

The study aims to examine whether nutritional deficiencies linked to alcoholism correlate with socioeconomic status and increased laryngeal cancer risk. A retrospective case‑control study of recent laryngeal cancer patients examined associated factors to assess epidemiological changes between 1956 and 1974. Results showed a markedly lower male‑to‑female ratio, reduced risk for ex‑smokers and long‑term filter‑cigarette users, a synergistic increase in risk with alcohol and tobacco, and an independent association with wood‑exposure occupations, alongside differences in education, religion, and smoking prevalence.

Abstract

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 in the early survey (male: female ratio of 14.9:1) 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 and 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 (10+ 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 laryngeai cancer, independently of smoking status. Future studies should include an extensive study of nutritional deficiencies associated with alcoholism to determine if a correlation exists between such deficiencies, socioeconomic status, and an increased risk of laryngeal cancer.