Smoking and Cancer of the Mouth, Pharynx, and Larynx

One hundred and two smokers, all of whom had been cured of mouth or throat cancer, were divided into two groups: 65 who continued smoking, and 37 who stopped. Within approximately six years, 21 of the 65 patients who continued smoking acquired a second area cancer; only two of 37 quitters developed second cancers in this same period. The highly significant difference in distribution of second cancers implicates tobacco in the formation of most mouth-throat cancers. Mouth-cancer patients with a fair prognosis will gain a considerable advantage from quitting the use of tobacco.