Laryngeal carcinoma in patients without a history of tobacco and alcohol use.

BACKGROUND

The medical literature on laryngeal carcinomas in patients without a history of tobacco and alcohol use is sparse.

METHODS

A retrospective review of 933 laryngeal carcinomas treated in our center between January 1984 and December 1993 was made. Characteristics and results of patients with history of tobacco and alcohol use were compared with those who used neither.

RESULTS

Of all patients with laryngeal carcinomas, 31 (3.3%) had no history of tobacco and alcohol use. In this group of patients, distribution between sexes was similar, and the mean age of patients was 70 years, compared with 63 years in the group with a history of tobacco and alcohol use. The survival rate was better in the former group.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients without a history of tobacco and alcohol use who developed laryngeal cancer showed different characteristics compared with smokers or drinkers; they were an average of 10 years older, they showed no male predominance, and their lesions were mainly located in the glottis, which permitted early diagnosis and a higher survival rate.