Alcohol as an additional risk factor in laryngopharyngeal cancer in Mumbai- A case-control study

A retrospective case-control study of 1698 male pharyngeal and laryngeal ca ncers seen at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai from 1980 to 1984 was unde rtaken to assess the association between the cancers and chewing, smoking, and alcohol habits. Male controls were chosen from persons who attended the hospital during the same period and who were diagnosed as free from cancer , benign tumor, and infectious disease. Statistical analysis was based on u nconditional logistic regression method. Bidi smoking and alcohol drinking emerged as significant factors for pharyngeal and laryngeal cancers. Illite rates had 50 to 60% excess risk for pharyngeal cancer only. Nonvegetarian d iet did not emerge as significant factor in our study.