Short Communication

British Journal of Cancer (2002) 87, 516–518. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6600469 www.bjcancer.com
Published online 27 August 2002

Cancer of the larynx in non-smoking alcohol drinkers and in non-drinking tobacco smokers

C Bosetti1, S Gallus1, S Franceschi2, F Levi3, M Bertuzzi1, E Negri1, R Talamini4 and C La Vecchia1,5

  1. 1Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche 'Mario Negri', Milan, Italy
  2. 2Field and Intervention Studies Unit, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
  3. 3Registre Vaudois des Tumeurs, Institut Universitaire de Médicine Sociale et Préventive, Lausanne, Switzerland
  4. 4Servizio di Epidemiologia, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy
  5. 5Istituto di Statistica Medica e Biometria, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

Correspondence: C Bosetti, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche 'Mario Negri', Via Eritrea 62 - 20157 Milan, Italy. E-mail: bosetti@marionegri.it

Received 28 March 2002; Revised 17 May 2002; Accepted 20 May 2002.

Top

Abstract

The separate effect of alcohol and tobacco on laryngeal cancer was analysed in two case–control studies from Italy and Switzerland, comprising 40 non-smoking and 68 non-drinking cases, and 160 non-smoking and 161 non-drinking controls. The multivariate odds ratio was 2.46 for heavy drinkers non-smokers, and 9.38 for current smokers non-drinkers.

Keywords:

laryngeal cancer, smoking, alcohol drinking, case–control study