A case-control study of head and neck cancer in the Republic of Ireland

A retrospective case-control study of 200 patients with head and neck cancer, and 200 controls matched for age and sex, confirmed the importance of tobacco and alcohol consumption in the aetiology of malignant tumours of the upper gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tracts. A male-female ratio of 3:1 was found, and the association of smoking with laryngeal cancer and of alcohol with cancer of the tongue was particularly strong. A significant excess of alcohol-related occupations was found among the cases. These findings are discussed.