Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Environmental tobacco smoke and laryngeal cancer: results from a population-based case–control study

  • Laryngology
  • Published:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Information is lacking on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and the risk of laryngeal cancer. We performed a population-based case–control study conducted in Germany, with 257 cases and 769 controls. ETS exposure was assessed from spouse/partner, working history and childhood. The odds ratio (OR) for ETS exposure (binary) in all individuals was 1.2 (95% CI 0.77–1.8), controlled for active smoking, alcohol consumption and education. For the continuous variable of lifetime exposure hours to spouse/partner, we found an OR of 1.2 (95% CI 1.0–1.4) for lifelong exposure of 20,000 h. Since laryngeal cancer is relatively rare and since most cases are (ex-)smokers, studies with sufficient power to investigate the effect of ETS in nonsmokers are difficult to perform. Our findings are in line with the hypothesis that ETS increases the risk of laryngeal cancer. Meta-analyses based on subgroups of nonsmokers from earlier studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ferlay J, Bray F, Pisani P et al (2001) GLOBOCAN 2000: cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence worldwide (IARC Cancer Base No. 5). IARC Press, Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  2. Boffetta P, Hashibe M (2006) Alcohol and cancer. Lancet Oncol 7(2):149–156

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Zatonski W, Becher H, Lissowska J, Wahrendorf J (1991) Tobacco, alcohol, and diet in the etiology of laryngeal cancer: a population-based case–control study. Cancer Causes Control 2(1):3–10

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Talamini R, Bosetti C, La Vecchia C, Dal Maso L, Levi F, Bidoli E, Negri E, Pasche C, Vaccarella S, Barzan L, Franceschi S (2002) Combined effect of tobacco and alcohol on laryngeal cancer risk: a case–control study. Cancer Causes Control 13(10):957–964

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. IARC (2004) IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans: tobacco smoke and involuntary smoking. IARC Press, Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  6. Vineis P, Airoldi L, Veglia P, Olgiati L, Pastorelli R, Autrup H, Dunning A, Garte S, Gormally E, Hainaut P, Malaveille C, Matullo G, Peluso M, Overvad K, Tjonneland A, Clavel-Chapelon F, Boeing H, Krogh V, Palli D, Panico S, Tumino R, Bueno-de-Mesquita B, Peeters P, Berglund G, Hallmans G et al (2005) Environmental tobacco smoke and risk of respiratory cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in former smokers and never smokers in the EPIC prospective study. BMJ 330(7486):277

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhang ZF, Morgenstern H, Spitz MR, Tashkin DP, Yu GP, Hsu TC, Schantz SP (2000) Environmental tobacco smoking, mutagen sensitivity, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 9(10):1043–1049

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Law MR, Hackshaw AK (1996) Environmental tobacco smoke. Br Med Bull 52(1):22–34

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ahrens W, Jockel KH, Patzak W, Elsner G (1991) Alcohol, smoking, and occupational factors in cancer of the larynx: a case–control study. Am J Ind Med 20(4):477–493

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Jockel KH, Ahrens W, Jahn I, Pohlabeln H, Bolm-Audorff U (1998) Occupational risk factors for lung cancer: a case–control study in West Germany. Int J Epidemiol 27(4):549–560

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ramroth H, Dietz A, Becher H (2004) Interaction effects and population-attributable risks for smoking and alcohol on laryngeal cancer and its subsites. A case–control study from Germany. Methods Inf Med 43(5):499–504

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grant no. 01GB9702/3 from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). We acknowledge the contribution of Dr. M.-L. Groß, who organized the interviews of patients and controls, and the cooperation of the following clinics: Universität HNO-Klinik Heidelberg (Prof. Dr. H. Weidauer), Universität HNO-Klinik Mannheim (Prof. Dr. K. Hörmann), HNO-Klinik der Städt. Kliniken Darmstadt, (Prof. Dr. K. Reck), HNO-Klinik der Städt. Kliniken Ludwigshafen (Prof. Dr. G. Münker†, Prof. Dr. K.-W. Delank) and HNO-Klinik der Städt. Krankenanstalten Heilbronn (Prof. Dr. C. Naumann).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tropical Hygiene and Public Health, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Heribert Ramroth & Heiko Becher

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Andreas Dietz

Authors
  1. Heribert Ramroth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andreas Dietz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Heiko Becher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heribert Ramroth.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ramroth, H., Dietz, A. & Becher, H. Environmental tobacco smoke and laryngeal cancer: results from a population-based case–control study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 265, 1367–1371 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-008-0651-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-008-0651-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation