M.A Damaghani - Assistant Professor of Otorhinolaryngology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Kerman, Iran

Laryngeal cancer is a disease of old age and the most common age of presentation is ۶Th. ۷Th decade of life. This disease is more common in men, but male to female ratio has been decreased from ۱۵:۱ to ۴:۱ during the last forty years. The most common risk factors are cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. This cross – sectional study carried out to determine the age of laryngeal cancer from ۱۳۷۵ to ۱۳۸۰. ۹۸ patients with confirmed diagnosis of laryngeal cancer (۸۳ men and ۱۵ women) with the mean age of۵۷.۵±۱۲.۹ were studied. Patients were divided into two groups: addict and non –addict. Mean age of the addicted, patients was ۱۰.۵ years less than that of non- addicted. The average age of addicted patients was ۵۵.۱± ۱۲.۱ and that of non-addicted patients was ۶۵.۶± ۱۲.۸ (P=۰.۰۰۰۱). The rate of laryngeal cancer under the age of ۴۰ has been reported, less than ۲% in international reports, but in the present study it was ۶.۵% and all of them were opium addicted. The number of cigarette smoked daily and length of smoking were significantly lower in addicted patients (۲۱.۵±۷ cigarette daily and ۲۵.۲±۱۱.۱ years) comparing with non-addicted patients (۲۱.۵±۹.۵ cigarette daily and ۳۷.۴±۱۱.۹ years).Therefore the mean age of incidence in our patients is lower than that reperted in literature and it maybe due to opium consumption.

laryngeal cancer, Opium, Addiction