Assessment of laryngeal cancer in patients younger than 40 years.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To assess the differences between patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma under 40 years old and those 40 years old or older. A secondary objective was to compare survival outcome between these cohorts. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: We reviewed the medical charts of all patients treated in our tertiary referral center for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma from 2005 to 2014. Patients aged < 40 years at diagnosis were compared to older patients. RESULTS: The study group comprised 160 patients. Of them, 13 were aged < 40 years at diagnosis. Mean age was 35 ± 3.9 years and 64.4 ± 11 years for the two groups. Among the younger patients, 38% were smokers (mean pack/day, 2.2) versus 71% in the older group (mean pack/day, 3). The younger group typically had a more advanced stage than the older group at presentation; eight young patients (62%) had stage III or IV versus 49 (33%) in the older group (P = .042). Mean overall survival was 6.7 ± 1 years for those under 40 years old and 7.7 ± 0.2 years for the older patients (P = .2). The 5-year survival rate was 69% for young patients and 90% for the older group (P = .04). However, there was no significant between-group difference in overall survival or 5-year survival rate when stratified for early- and late-stage disease. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lower prevalence of classic risk factors in younger patient with laryngeal carcinoma in this study, suggesting a different etiology compared to our older cohort. The under-40 cohort presented with more advanced disease and had a worse 5-year survival; however, when stratified for early- versus late-stage disease, there was no significant difference in overall or 5-year survival between the groups. This may suggest that, despite a different etiology, laryngeal cancer behaves similarly in older and younger patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:1602-1605, 2018.

Smoking habits among Israeli hospital doctors: a survey and historical review.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is a serious health issue worldwide. Smoking trends among physicians predict similar trends in the general population. Little is known about current smoking rates among physicians. OBJECTIVES: To investigate current smoking trends a Israeli physicians. METHODS: All practicing physicians at a tertiary university-affiliated medical center in central Israel were invited to complete a Web-based questionnaire on smoking habits and smoking-related issues via the institutional email. Findings were compared to those in the general population and between subgroups. RESULTS: Of the 90 responders (53 male, 88 Jewish), 54 (60%) had never smoked, 21 (23.3%) were past smokers, and 15 (16.7%) were current smokers. The rate of current smokers was lower than in the general population. The proportion of current smokers was higher among residents than attending physicians and among physicians in surgical compared to medical specialties. Past smokers accounted for 17.9% of the residents (average age at quitting 26.2 years) and 28.1% of the attending hysicians (average age at quitting 33.0 years). Non-smokers more frequently supported harsh anti-smoking legislation. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of smoking is lower in physicians than in the general population but has not changed over the last 15 years. Anti-smoking programs should particularly target physicians in surgical specialties.