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 re trospective review of 933 laryngeal carcinomas treated in our center b etween January 1984 and December 1993 was made. Characteristics and re sults of patients with history of tobacco and alcohol use were compare d with those who used neither. Results: Of all patients with laryngeal carcinomas, 31 (3.3%) had no history of tobacco and alcohol use. In t his group of patients, distribution between sexes was similar, and the mean age of patients was 70 years, compared with 63 years in the grou p with a history of tobacco and alcohol use. The survival rate was bet ter in the former group. Conclusions: Patients without a history of to bacco and alcohol use who developed laryngeal cancer showed different characteristics compared with smokers or drinkers: they were an averag e of 10 years older, they showed no male predominance, and their lesio ns were mainly located in the glottis, which permitted early diagnosis and a higher survival rate. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.