Cigarette Smoking and Cancer of the Mouth, Pharynx, and Larynx

A total of 203 smokers "cured" of cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx were divided into two groups: those who continued smoking and those who stopped. Within an average follow-up period of approximately seven years, 40% of patients who continued to smoke tobacco developed second cancers in tobacco-contact tissues, whereas 6% of patients who stopped smoking tobacco acquired second cancers. The death rate from second cancers was high; deaths from other causes occurred more often and earlier among the continuing smokers. These results strongly support previous evidence that (1) tobacco plays a major role in cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx; and (2) cessation of smoking reduces the risk of second such cancers. Stopping smoking may reduce premature deaths from some other common diseases.