title: Arylhydrocarbonhydroxylase inducibility and smoking habits in patients with laryngeal carcinomas.
abstract: There is considerable evidence that the inducible enzyme aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) plays an important role in the activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to ultimate carcinogens. In man, a genetic heterogeneity of AHH inducibility has been demonstrated, and correlated to susceptibility to bronchogenic carcinomas following exposure to PAH. We assessed AHH inducibility in a control group of 102 healthy Swedish citizens and in 41 patients with laryngeal carcinomas. Frequencies of the three phenotypes of high, intermediate and low AHH inducibility in our control group; 8.8%, 42.2% and 49%, respectively, did not differ significantly from frequencies found in a white US population. In the laryngeal carcinoma group, there was a statistically highly significant overrepresentation of patients with high AHH inducibility, 36.6%, whereas 43.9% had an intermediate and 19.5% a low level. Most of the patients were heavy smokers. These findings add further support to the concept that susceptibility to PAH-induced carcinomas is associated with high levels of inducible AHH activity.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases