[Tobacco and head and neck tumors].

Poland is the country in which the steady increase of falling ill and deaths of head and neck tumours has been observed in last 30 years. Larynx tumour occurs the most often among smoking people (inhaling the tobacco smoke) and the ones drinking alcohol habitually. As far as non-smokers and abstinent are concerned this illness is a very rare phenomenon. In connection with these facts, actions in favour of the illness decrease--especially the primary prevention like promoting the non-smoking fashion as well as trends for the limitation of the danger by the treatment of the addicted to tobacco should be among the important tasks of every doctor, not only laryngologist. The aim of the thesis is gaining the information concerning the influence of smoking on head and neck tumours' occurrence and simultaneously taking the age of the ill into consideration. The subject of the research was a group of 120 men suffering from tumours within the limits of head and neck, who were treated in the Clinic of Otolaryngology and Laryngologic Oncology of Poznan University of Medical Sciences since April 2002 until November 2002. All the numerical data characterising the examined patients was treated under epidemiological analysis on the basis of the previously prepared questionnaire. The results of the research indicate the necessity of conducting the vast prophylactic actions.