Does asbestos cause laryngeal cancer?1

Asbestos is a known carcinogen. Its role in the aetiology of laryngeal cancer has been investigated and debated for the last three decades. Here, we consider much of the published evidence from post-mortem studies, cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies. We feel that the weight of evidence does not support a causal association for asbestos with laryngeal cancer. The 'positive studies' raise important questions regarding an association; the opportunity may present itself to answer some of these as the incidence of asbestos-related malignancy is increasing in the UK and Europe.