[Laryngeal cancer and occupation--results of the Heidelberg laryngeal cancer study]

Abstract

We conducted a case-control study of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx referred to occupational factors in 164 patients compared with 656 controls adjusted for sex, age and area of residence, using a 1-to-4 matched design. Most of the cancer patients (92%) were blue collar workers. Only 8% of the cancer patients had attended technical college, college or university, compared with 31.3% of the control subjects. After adjustment for alcohol and tobacco consumption we found an increased relative risk of laryngeal cancer in subjects chronically exposed to cement dust, pine wood dust and coal-tar products. The risk associated with cement dust and coal-tar products was predominantly related to supraglottic cancer (RR = 1.88, CI = 0.8-4.3, RR = 6.11, CI = 1.7-21.6), respectively, after adjustment for tobacco and alcohol use. The risk associated with pine wood dust was related predominantly to glottic cancer (RR = 3.18, CI = 1.1-9.0) after adjustment for tobacco and alcohol use.