Abstract
We thank Dr. Sturgis for bringing this interesting monograph to our attention. It was not indexed or referenced in the sources we searched. While it is certainly worthy of citation and consideration, it also highlights further the problem we addressed in the editorial, particularly the difficulty of conducting research that provides definitive answers to such challenging questions.
The committee documented clearly an association between asbestosis and laryngeal cancer and expressed reasons why a causal relationship seems likely. However, even the committee was careful to avoid declaring causation. The evidence was not strong enough for the report to say that asbestos exposure “causes” laryngeal cancer. Rather, the committee judiciously worded their statement to say that “the evidence is sufficient to infer a causal relationship.” I suspect that this wording was selected with care.
The monograph provides interesting data but still does not answer definitively the question of causation in populations or, certainly (as Dr. Sturgis points out), for a specific individual.
We appreciate having this document brought to the attention of our readers and look forward to continued clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory research leading us to a definitive answer to this important question.