Diet, smoking, and alcohol in cancer of the larynx: a case-control study

A case-control study among white men in western New York was conducted from 1975 through 1985 to examine diet and other risk factors for laryngeal cancer. Incident pathologically confirmed cases (250) and age- and neighborhood-matched controls (250) were interviewed to determine usual diet and lifetime use of tobacco and alcohol. Cigarettes were strongly associated with risk; pipes and cigars were not. Beer and hard liquor but not wine were associated with increased risk. Dietary fat and carotenoids were related to risk in opposite ways. The upper quartile odds ratio for dietary fat was 2.40 [95% confidence interval 1.26, 4.55], and the upper quartile odds ratio for carotenoids was 0.51 (0.26, 1.01). There was effect modification by smoking. Carotenoids were most negatively associated with risk among the lightest smokers, whereas dietary fat was most positively associated with risk among the heaviest smokers. Total calories, protein, and retinol were associated with increased risk; there was no relationship between laryngeal cancer and vitamin C, vitamin E, carbohydrate, or dietary fiber. This study again demonstrates the strong association between tobacco and alcohol and laryngeal cancer and also suggests that diets low in carotenoids and high in fat may increase risk.