Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1988 Dec;42(4):350–354. doi: 10.1136/jech.42.4.350

A study of the interaction of alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking among French cases of laryngeal cancer.

P Guénel 1, J F Chastang 1, D Luce 1, A Leclerc 1, J Brugère 1
PMCID: PMC1052764  PMID: 3256577

Abstract

Laryngeal cancer represents an important cause of cancer in France, and the individual effects of alcohol and tobacco on this cancer site are well known. However the problem of the interaction between these agents is less extensively documented, and the role of the high consumptions of alcohol has not been studied frequently. A case-control analysis was undertaken to investigate the joint effect of alcohol and tobacco by comparing 197 glottic and 214 supraglottic cancer cases to 4135 controls representative of the French general population. Heavy drinkers were available from the two groups of cases, the highest alcohol category being equivalent to a consumption of more than 2 litres of wine per day. The relative risks estimated for heavy drinkers and smokers were high, and the results indicated an even stronger effect of alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking on the upper part of the laryngeal region. Additive and multiplicative models were fitted to the data. The multiplicative hypothesis was found to be the most appropriate, implying that the risks associated with alcohol and tobacco multiply when the exposures occur simultaneously. The public health implications of this result and the contribution of heavy drinkers and smokers to the frequency of upper respiratory and digestive tract cancers are discussed.

Full text

PDF
353

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Breslow N. E., Storer B. E. General relative risk functions for case-control studies. Am J Epidemiol. 1985 Jul;122(1):149–162. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114074. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Elwood J. M., Pearson J. C., Skippen D. H., Jackson S. M. Alcohol, smoking, social and occupational factors in the aetiology of cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Int J Cancer. 1984 Nov 15;34(5):603–612. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910340504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Flanders W. D., Rothman K. J. Interaction of alcohol and tobacco in laryngeal cancer. Am J Epidemiol. 1982 Mar;115(3):371–379. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Graham S., Dayal H., Rohrer T., Swanson M., Sultz H., Shedd D., Fischman S. Dentition, diet, tobacco, and alcohol in the epidemiology of oral cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1977 Dec;59(6):1611–1618. doi: 10.1093/jnci/59.6.1611. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Leclerc A., Brugère J., Luce D., Point D., Guenel P. Type of alcoholic beverage and cancer of the upper respiratory and digestive tract. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1987 May;23(5):529–534. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(87)90315-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McCoy G. D., Hecht S. S., Wynder E. L. The roles of tobacco, alcohol, and diet in the etiology of upper alimentary and respiratory tract cancers. Prev Med. 1980 Sep;9(5):622–629. doi: 10.1016/0091-7435(80)90034-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Olsen J., Sabreo S., Fasting U. Interaction of alcohol and tobacco as risk factors in cancer of the laryngeal region. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1985 Jun;39(2):165–168. doi: 10.1136/jech.39.2.165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Olsen J., Sabroe S., Ipsen J. Effect of combined alcohol and tobacco exposure on risk of cancer of the hypopharynx. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1985 Dec;39(4):304–307. doi: 10.1136/jech.39.4.304. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Rothman K. J., Cann C. I., Flanders D., Fried M. P. Epidemiology of laryngeal cancer. Epidemiol Rev. 1980;2:195–209. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a036223. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Rothman K., Keller A. The effect of joint exposure to alcohol and tobacco on risk of cancer of the mouth and pharynx. J Chronic Dis. 1972 Dec;25(12):711–716. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(72)90006-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. SCHWARTZ D., DENOIX P. F., ANGUERA G. Recherche des localisations du cancer associées aux facteurs tabac el alcool chez l'homme. Bull Assoc Fr Etud Cancer. 1957 Apr-Jun;44(2):336–361. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. SCHWARTZ D., FLAMANT R., LELLOUCH J., DENOIX P. F. Results of a French survey on the role of tobacco, particularly inhalation, in different cancer sites. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1961 May;26:1085–1108. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Saracci R. The interactions of tobacco smoking and other agents in cancer etiology. Epidemiol Rev. 1987;9:175–193. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a036301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Siemiatycki J., Thomas D. C. Biological models and statistical interactions: an example from multistage carcinogenesis. Int J Epidemiol. 1981 Dec;10(4):383–387. doi: 10.1093/ije/10.4.383. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Tuyns A. J., Péquignot G., Abbatucci J. S. Oesophageal cancer and alcohol consumption; importance of type of beverage. Int J Cancer. 1979 Apr 15;23(4):443–447. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910230402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. WYNDER E. L., BROSS I. J., DAY E. A study of environmental factors in cancer of the larynx. Cancer. 1956 Jan-Feb;9(1):86–110. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(195601/02)9:1<86::aid-cncr2820090108>3.0.co;2-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Williams R. R., Horm J. W. Association of cancer sites with tobacco and alcohol consumption and socioeconomic status of patients: interview study from the Third National Cancer Survey. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1977 Mar;58(3):525–547. doi: 10.1093/jnci/58.3.525. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Wynder E. L., Covey L. S., Mabuchi K., Mushinski M. Environmental factors in cancer of the larynx: a second look. Cancer. 1976 Oct;38(4):1591–1601. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197610)38:4<1591::aid-cncr2820380425>3.0.co;2-r. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES