Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T02:44:49.789Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Serum cotinine as an objective marker for smoking habit in head and neck malignancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

H. B. Whittet
Affiliation:
Senior Registrar, ENT Department, Radcliffe Infirmary, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HE.
V. J. Lund*
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer, Professional Unit, Institute of Laryngology and Otology, Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8EE.
M. Brockbank
Affiliation:
Senior Registrar, Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8DA.
T C. Feyerabend
Affiliation:
Senior Chemist, National Poisons Unit, New Cross Hospital, London SE14 5ER.
*
Miss V. J. Lund, M.S., F.R.C.S., Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, 330, Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8DA.

Abstract

Cigarette-smoking is a well-established aetiological factor in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. In Great Britain the majority of patients with laryngeal cancer are treated by radiotherapy with salvage surgery if necessary. A troublesome side effect of radiotherapy is mucositis which may exacerbate hoarseness, dysphagia, airway obstruction or pain. Although it is a common belief that continued smoking and alcohol consumption during radiotherapy may increase the frequency and severity of these side effects this has not been demonstrated objectively. This study confirms and illustrates the relationship between such radiotherapy reactions to continued smoke exposure by using an objective biochemical marker of smoking status.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Armitage, A. K., Dollery, C. T., George, C. F., House, T. H., Lewis, P. J.,Turner, D. M. (1975) Absorption and metabolism of nicotine from cigarettes. British Medical Journal, 4: 313316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beker, S. (1989) Hepatology for the clinician. A problem orientated approach. A. R. Liss: New York. p. 3745.Google Scholar
Castleden, C. M. and Cole, P. G. (1974) Variations in carboxyhaemoglobin levels in smokers. British Medical Journal, 4: 736738.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corbo, G. M., Fuciarelli, F. M. Foresi, A., De Benedetto, F. (1989) Snoring in children: association with respiratory symptoms and passive smoking. British Medical Journal, 239: 14911494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowie, J., Sillet, R. W. Ball, K. P. (1973) Carbon monoxide absorption by cigarette smokers who change to smoking cigars. The Lancet, i: 10331035.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Easson, E. C. and Pointon, R. C. S. (1985) In: Radiotherapy of Malignant Disease. (Duthrie, M. B., Gupta, N. K., Pointon, R. C. C. eds) Springer Verlag: Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, Tokyo, Chap. 7 p. 192194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eastham, R. D. (1985) Biochemical Values in Clinical Medicine. Wright: Bristol. p. 159160.Google Scholar
Feyerabend, C.. Russell, M. A. H. (1980) A rapid gas-liquid chromatographic determination of cotinine in biological fluids. Analyst 105: 9931001.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flanders, W. D., Rothman, K. J. (1982) Interaction of alcohol and tobacco in laryngeal cancer. American Journal of Epidemiology, 115: 371379.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fletcher, G. H. (1980) Textbook of Radiotherapy, 3rd edn. Churchill Livingstone, p. 291.Google Scholar
Goffinet, D. R.. Eltrigham, J. R.. Glastein, E., Bagshaw, M. A. (1973) Carcinoma of the larynx: results of radiation therapy in 213 patients. American Journal of Roentgenology, Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine, 117: 553560.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guenel, P., Chastang, J. F., Luce, D., Leclerc, A., Brugere, J. (1988) A study of the interaction of alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking among French cases of laryngeal cancer. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 42: 350354.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jarvis, M. J. (1980) Expired air carbon monoxide: a simple breath test of tobacco smoke intake. British Medical Journal, 281: 484485.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jarvis, M. J., Russell, M. A. H., Feyerabend, C., Eiser, J. R., Morgan, M., Gammage, P., Gray, E. M. (1985) Passive exposure to tobacco smoke: saliva cotinine concentrations in a representative population sample of non-smoking children. British Medical Journal, 291: 927929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jarvis, M. J., Tunstall-Pedoe, H., Feyerabend, C., Vesey, C., Saloojee, Y. (1987) Comparison of tests used to distinguish smokers from non-smokers. American Journal of Public Health, 77: 14351438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirk, C. J. C., Woolcock, N. E., Lund, V. J. (1981) The effect of advice to stop smoking on arterial patients by serum thiocyanate levels. In: Smoking and Arterial Disease. (Greenhaigh, R. M. ed.) Pitman Medical: Bath. p. 188–121.Google Scholar
Lawson, W., Biller, H. F., Suen, J. Y. (1989) In: Cancer of the Head and Neck. (Myers, E. N., Suen, J. Y. eds) 2nd edn, Churchill Livingstone: New York, Edinburgh, London, Melbourne. p. 576577.Google Scholar
Michaels, L. (1987) Ear Nose and Throat Histopathology. Springer Verlag: Berlin. p. 371373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mittal, B., Rao, D. V., Marks, J. E., Peres, C. A. (1983) Role of radiation in the management of early vocal cord cancer. International Journal of Radiation, Oncology and Biological Physics, 9: 9971003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parks, J.,Worth, H. G. J. (1985) Carboxyhaemoglobin determination by second derivative spectroscopy. Clinical Chemistry, 31: 279281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pojer, R. (1984) Carboxyhaemoglobin, cotinine and thiocyanate assay compared for distinguishing smokers from non-smokers. Clinical Chemistry, 30: 13771380.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Revill, S. I., Robinson, J. O., Rosen, M., Hogg, M. I. J. (1976) The reliability of linear analogue for evaluating pain. Anaesthesia, 31: 11911198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richmond, R., Webster, I. (1986) Blood cotinine, carboxyhaemoglobin, and thiocyanate concentrations and cigarette consumption. British Medical Journal, 293: 1280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robin, P. E., Olofsson, J. (1989) Tumours of the larynx. In: Scott-Brown's Otolaryngology Fifth edition (Stell, P. M. ed,) Vol. 5 Butterworths London, p. 211.Google Scholar
Rothman, K. J., Cann, C. I., Flanders, D., Fried, M. P. (1949) Epidemiology of laryngeal cancer. Epidemiologic Reviews, 2: 195207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rugg, T., Saunders, M. I., Dische, S. (1990) Smoking and mucosal reactions to radiotherapy. British Journal of Radiology, 63: 554556.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saracci, R. (1987) The interactions of tobacco smoking and other agents in cancer aetiology. Epidemiologic Reviews, 9: 175191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sillet, R. W., Wilson, M. B., Malcolm, R. E., Ball, K. P. (1978) Deception among smokers. British Medical Journal, 2: 11851186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slattery, M. L., Robinson, L. M., Schuman, K. L., French, T. K., Abbott, T. M., Overall, J. C., Gardner, J. W. (1989) Cigarette smoking and exposure to passive smoking are risk factors for cervical cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association, 261: 15931598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stell, P. M., Maran, A. G. D. (1978) Head and Neck Surgery. 2nd ed. William Heineman: London, p. 165168.Google Scholar
Strachan, D. P., Jarvis, M. J., Feyerabend, C. (1989) Passive smoking, salivary cotinine concentrations and middle ear effusions in 7 year old children. British Medical Journal, 298: 15491552.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Transactions March-April 1949 p. VI.Google Scholar
Wilcox, R. G. (1979) Verification of smoking history using urinary nicotine and cotinine measurements. British Medical Journal, 2: 10261028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wynder, E. L., Bross, I. J., Day, E. (1956) A study of environmental factors in cancer of the larynx. Cancer, 9: 86110.3.0.CO;2-6>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed