GERD Associated with Laryngeal Cancer

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have reported that GERD is significantly associated with the development of laryngeal cancer. The details of this study appeared in the September 2006 issue of the American Journal of Medicine. You can read the abstract of this article here.

According to the article published in the American Journal of Medicine, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and smoking increase the risk of developing laryngeal cancer. When considering all variables, smoking was associated with more than a six-fold increase in the development of laryngeal cancer, while GERD was associated with a two-fold increase of the development of laryngeal cancer. The researchers

The researchers concluded that smoking and GERD increase the risk of developing laryngeal cancer, and that only future clinical trials can determine whether early intervention and treatment for GERD can help reduce the risk of developing laryngeal cancer.

GERD is more commonly associated with esophageal cancer. It increases the chance of developing Barrett's esophagus, which is a pre-cancerous condition of the esophagus characterized by the abnormal presence of columnar epithelium in the surface lining of the lower esophagus. Patients with Barrett’s esophagus have an increased incidence of esophageal cancer.

Related Resources:

• Laryngeal Cancer
• Guide to GERD
• Esophageal Cancer