Cigarette smoking and progression of laryngeal lesions.

The association between cigarette smoking and an increased risk of laryngeal carcinoma has been demonstrated in numerous studies. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of smoking habit in patients with different laryngeal pathologies. The prevalence of cigarette smoking was compared between patients with laryngeal tumors and those with nonmalignant laryngeal lesions. Data on all patients with indications for direct microlaryngoscopy at the Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology of the University Hospital Center Split, during a five-year period were analyzed. The study included 562 patients with various laryngeal pathologies, divided into three groups as follows: group 1, benign lesions; group 2, precancerous lesions; and group 3, tumors. The majority of patients (82.92%) had a long history of smoking. The proportion of smokers was lowest in benign lesion group (72.13%), higher in precancerous lesion group (81.48%) and highest in malignant lesion group (97.14%). There was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of cigarette smoking between patients with laryngeal tumors and those with benign or precancerous lesions (p < 0.001). The mean number of cigarettes per day was 20.54 +/- 14.80, and was lowest in benign lesion group (15.67 +/- 13.41) and highest in malignant lesion group (26.33 +/- 12.70). The mean length of smoking habit was 26.44 +/- 16.92 years, ranging from 19.57 +/- 16.03 years in benign lesion group to 35.20 +/- 12.12 years in malignant lesion group. Study results clearly pointed to the increased prevalence of laryngeal diseases in smokers, with a significant difference between patients with benign laryngeal lesions and those with laryngeal tumors.