Associated Malignancies
One out of four patients who had lung cancer plus a second primary in this series had carcinoma of the larynx. Lung and laryngeal cancers occur together in persons more often than expected by change, perhaps because of "field carcinogenesis", in which dysplasia from the effects of tobacco and other carcinogens develop over a general epithelial region. In this particular series, there were 18 synchronous and 42 metachronous larynx and lung cancers. Cytology through the tracheostomy established the diagnosis in 17 of 34 patients.