快猫短视频

Skip to main content

Risk Factors for Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancers

A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of getting a disease like cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, like smoking, can be changed. Others, like a person’s age or family history, can’t be changed.

But risk factors don’t tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several risk factors, doesn't mean that you will get the disease. And many people who get the disease have few or no known risk factors.

Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers are often grouped with other cancers of the mouth and throat (commonly called head and neck cancers). These cancers often have many of the same risk factors listed below.

Tobacco and alcohol use

Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for head and neck cancers (including cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx). People who smoke have a much higher risk for these cancers than people who don't smoke. Most people with these cancers have a history of smoking or some other tobacco exposure. The more you smoke, the greater your risk. Smoke from cigarettes, pipes, and cigars all increase your risk of getting these cancers.

Some studies have also found that long-term exposure to secondhand smoke might increase the risk of these cancers, but more research is needed to confirm this.

Moderate or heavy alcohol use (more than 1 drink a day) also increases the risk of these cancers, although not as much as smoking.

People who use both tobacco and alcohol have the highest risk of all. Combining these 2 habits doesn’t just add both risks together, it actually multiplies them. People who smoke and drink are many times more likely to get head and neck cancer than people who don't have these habits.

If you are thinking about quitting smoking and need help, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345. A tobacco cessation and counseling program can help increase your chances of quitting for good. More helpful information on quitting is also in Stay Away from Tobacco.

Human papillomavirus infection

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of over 150 related viruses. They are called papillomaviruses because some of them cause a type of growth called a papilloma, also known as a wart.

Infection with certain types of HPV can also cause some forms of cancer, including cancers of the penis, cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, and throat. Other types of HPV cause benign (not cancer) warts in different parts of the body.

The rate of head and neck cancers related to HPV infection have been rising mainly for cancers of the throat (oropharynx). But HPV infection is a rare risk factor for cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx.

Excess body weight

Weighing too much for your height appears to increase the risk of cancers of the larynx and oropharynx.  Eating more plant-based foods, such as non-starchy vegetables and whole fruit, might help people lose weight as well as reduce their laryngeal and oropharyngeal cancer risk.

Poor nutrition

Poor nutrition might increase the risk of getting hypopharyngeal cancer. The exact reason for this is not clear. Heavy drinkers often have vitamin deficiencies because they don't eat enough, which may help explain the role of alcohol in increasing the risk for these cancers.

Plummer-Vinson syndrome: People with this syndrome typically have poor nutrition because of rings of thin tissue (also called webs) in their esophagus that make it hard to swallow. They commonly have anemia from low iron levels. Having this syndrome puts people at risk of esophageal and hypopharyngeal cancers.

Genetic syndromes

People with syndromes caused by inherited gene defects (mutations) have a very high risk of throat cancer, including cancer of the hypopharynx.

Fanconi anemia: People with this syndrome often have blood problems at an early age, which may lead to leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. They also have a very high risk of cancer of the mouth and throat, including laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.

Dyskeratosis congenita: This genetic syndrome can cause aplastic anemia, skin rashes, and abnormal fingernails and toenails. People with this syndrome have a very high risk of developing head and neck cancers, especially of the mouth and throat, when they are young.

Workplace exposures

Long and intense exposures to wood dust, paint fumes, and certain chemicals used in the metalworking, petroleum, construction, and textile industries can increase the risk of laryngeal and some hypopharyngeal cancers.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was often used as an insulating material in many products in the past. Exposure to asbestos is an important risk factor for lung cancer and mesothelioma (cancer that starts in the lining of the chest or abdomen). Some studies have suggested a link between asbestos exposure and laryngeal cancer, but not all studies agree.

Sex

Cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx are about 5 times more common in men than women. This is likely because the main risk factors ? smoking and heavy alcohol use ? are more common in men. But in recent years, as these habits have become more common among women, their risks for these cancers have increased as well.

Age

Cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx usually develop over many years, so they are not common in young people. Over half of patients with these cancers are 65 or older when the cancers are first found.

Race

Cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx are more common among African Americans and non-Hispanic White people than among Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease

When acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus it's called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD can cause heartburn and increase the chance of cancer of the esophagus. GERD is also thought to raise a person’s risk of hypopharyngeal cancers, but more studies are being done on this.

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team

Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

Alter BP, Giri N, Savage SA, Rosenberg PS. Cancer in the National Cancer Institute inherited bone marrow failure syndrome cohort after fifteen years of follow-up. Haematologica. 2018;103(1):30-39. doi:10.3324/haematol.2017.178111.

Amenábar JM, Torres-Pereira CC, Tang KD, Punyadeera C. Two enemies, one fight: An update of oral cancer in patients with Fanconi anemia. Cancer. 2019;125(22):3936-3946. doi:10.1002/cncr.32435.

Atkinson JC, Harvey KE, Domingo DL, et al. Oral and dental phenotype of dyskeratosis congenita. Oral Dis. 2008;14:419-427.

Barul C, Fayossé A, Carton M, et al. Occupational exposure to chlorinated solvents and risk of head and neck cancer in men: a population-based case-control study in France. Environ Health. 2017;16(1):77. 

Barul C, Matrat M, Auguste A, et al. Welding and the risk of head and neck cancer: the ICARE study. Occup Environ Med. 2020;77(5):293-300. doi:10.1136/oemed-2019-106080.

Bradley PJ. Epidemiology of Hypopharyngeal Cancer. Adv Otorhinolaryngol. 2019;83:1-14. doi:10.1159/000492299.

Ergun GA, Kahrilas PJ. Esophageal rings and webs. In: Grover S, ed. UpToDate. Waltham, Mass.: UpToDate, 2020. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/esophageal-rings-and-webs. Accessed on September 14, 2020.

Ferster APO, Schubart J, Kim Y, Goldenberg D. Association Between Laryngeal Cancer and Asbestos Exposure: A Systematic Review.  JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;143(4):409-416.

Furquim CP, Pivovar A, Amenábar JM, Bonfim C, Torres-Pereira CC. Oral cancer in Fanconi anemia: Review of 121 cases. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2018;125:35-40. doi:10.1016/j.critrevonc.2018.02.013.

Garneau JC, Bakst RL, Miles BA. Hypopharyngeal cancer: A state of the art review. Oral Oncol. 2018;86:244-250. doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2018.09.025.

Grignoux J, Durand-Moreau Q, Vongmany N, Brunel S; Rnv3p members, Dewitte JD. Work-related laryngeal cancer: Trends in France from 2001 to 2016. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2019;136(1):7-12. doi:10.1016/j.anorl.2018.10.006.

Hall AL, Kromhout H, Schüz J, et al. Laryngeal Cancer Risks in Workers Exposed to Lung Carcinogens: Exposure-Effect Analyses Using a Quantitative Job Exposure Matrix. Epidemiology. 2020;31(1):145-154. doi:10.1097/EDE.0000000000001120.

Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, Miller D, Brest A, Yu M, Ruhl J, Tatalovich Z, Mariotto A, Lewis DR, Chen HS, Feuer EJ, Cronin KA (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2017, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2017/, based on November 2019 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, April 2020.

Kutler DI, Auerbach AD, Satagopan J, et al. High incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in patients with Fanconi anemia. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2003;129:106-112.

Kutler DI, Patel KR, Auerbach AD, et al. Natural history and management of Fanconi anemia patients with head and neck cancer: A 10-year follow-up. Laryngoscope. 2016;126(4):870-879. doi:10.1002/lary.25726;

Lee PN, Thornton AJ, Hamling JS. Epidemiological evidence on environmental tobacco smoke and cancers other than lung or breast. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2016;80:134-163. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2016.06.012.

Mallis A, Jelastopulu E, Mastronikolis NS, Naxakis SS, Kourousis C, Papadas TA. Laryngeal cancer and passive smoking: the neglected factor? Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;268(5):727-731. doi:10.1007/s00405-010-1403-z.

Mourad M, Jetmore T, Jategaonkar AA, Moubayed S, Moshier E, Urken ML. Epidemiological Trends of Head and Neck Cancer in the United States: A SEER Population Study. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017;75(12):2562-2572. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2017.05.008.

Obid R, Redlich M, Tomeh C. The Treatment of Laryngeal Cancer. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2019;31(1):1-11. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2018.09.001.

Offermans NS, Vermeulen R, Burdorf A, et al. Occupational asbestos exposure and risk of pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer, and laryngeal cancer in the prospective Netherlands cohort study. J Occup Environ Med. 2014;56(1):6-19. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000060.

Rock CL, Thomson C, Gansler T, et al. American Cancer Society guideline for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2020;70(4). doi:10.3322/caac.21591. Accessed at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/caac.21591 on September 9, 2020.

Steuer CE, El-Deiry M, Parks JR, Higgins KA, Saba NF. An update on larynx cancer. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017;67(1):31-50. 

Trott KE, Briddell JW, Corao-Uribe D, et al. Dyskeratosis Congenita and Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Report of a Case and Literature Review. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2019;41(6):501-503. doi:10.1097/MPH.0000000000001478.

Troy JD, Grandis JR, Youk AO, Diergaarde B, Romkes M, Weissfeld JL. Childhood passive smoke exposure is associated with adult head and neck cancer. Cancer Epidemiol. 2013;37(4):417-423. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2013.03.011.

Last Revised: January 21, 2021

American Cancer Society Emails

Sign up to stay up-to-date with news, valuable information, and ways to get involved with the American Cancer Society.