Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Nov;52(11):2248-2259.
doi: 10.18502/ijph.v52i11.14025.

Laryngeal Cancer: Epidemiology, Etiology, and Prevention: A Narrative Review

Nurbek Igissin  1   2   3 , Vera Zatonskikh  2 , Zhansaya Telmanova  2   3 , Rais Tulebaev  4 , Malcolm Moore  3
Affiliations
Review

Laryngeal Cancer: Epidemiology, Etiology, and Prevention: A Narrative Review

Nurbek Igissin et al. Iran J Public Health. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Laryngeal cancer comprises 30%-40% of head and neck malignancies, and it is the most common malignancy in otolaryngology. The main risk factors for laryngeal cancer are tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, gastroesophageal reflex, Plummer-Vinson syndrome, exposure to heat, chemicals, and some viral infections. This literature review summarizes all known data over the past decade with an assessment of the main etiological factors related to cancer incidence, general measurement issues in the cancer epidemiology and the current state of science in relation to laryngeal cancer. The geographical distribution of laryngeal cancer also reveals some important aspects. Europe remains the most prevalent continent for this type of malignancy, whilst the epidemiologic burden in Africa remains low. Overall, there are clear differences in morbidity and mortality from laryngeal cancer between urban and rural areas, with gender inequalities. In some countries, the incidence rates are high in rural areas, and in some, such as in China, the urban population is more affected. High rates of laryngeal cancer are closely associated with both low average income and a high percentage of the population with lower-than-average education countries with higher Socio-demographic Index (SDI) have made greater improvements in the treatment of LC than countries with lower SDI. Epidemiological data on risk factors can provide valuable information for developing cancer prevention strategies.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Etiology; Laryngeal cancer; Prevention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1:
Fig. 1:
Age-standardized incidence rates of laryngeal cancer in the world, 2020 (https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-map)
Fig. 2:
Fig. 2:
Age-standardized mortality rates of laryngeal cancer in the world, 2020 (https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-map)
Fig. 3:
Fig. 3:
Age-standardized indicators of LC incidence in the male population of the world, 2020 (https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-map)
Fig. 4:
Fig. 4:
Age-standardized indicators of LC incidence in the female population of the world, 2020 (https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-map)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mody MD, Rocco JW, Yom SS, Haddad RI, Saba NF. (2021). Head and neck cancer. Lancet, 398(10318):2289–2299. - PubMed
    1. Son E, Panwar A, Mosher CH, Lydiatt D. (2018). Cancers of the Major Salivary Gland. J Oncol Pract, 14(2):99–108. - PubMed
    1. National Cancer Institute (2023). Head and Neck Cancers. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/head-neck-fact-sheet
    1. Ferlay J, Ervik M, Lam F, et al. (2022). Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Today. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; [cited 2022 Aug 25].
    1. Wang JY, Zhang QW, Wen K, et al. (2021). Temporal trends in incidence and mortality rates of laryngeal cancer at the global, regional and national levels, 1990–2017. BMJ Open, 11(10):e050387. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources