"Smokers' larynx" and carcinoma of the larynx in Syrian hamsters exposed to cigarette smoke.

Several groups of investigators have recently produced carcinoma of the larynx in Syrian hamsters. This study reports on the effects of cigarette smoke from Kentucky reference cigarettes in an inbred strain (BIO 15.16) of Syrian hamsters. After "smoking" five days each week for two years, 20 percent of the surviving animals had cancer of the larynx; 40 percent had severe epithelial changes. These observations emphasize the role of cigarette smoke in the genesis of laryngeal cancer and respiratory tract cancer in general. An experimental method is now available for comparative studies of cigarettes and as a quide toward less hazardous smoking materials.