title: A prospective study of the attributable risk of cancer due to cigarette smoking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goals of this study were to measure the impact of cigarette smoking on cancer incidence and to determine the attributable risk of cancer due to smoking.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cigarette smoking history was obtained from 8006 Japanese-American men examined from 1965 through 1968. After 22 years, 1389 incident cases of cancer were identified. There were 212 men with lung cancer; 202 with oral, esophageal, laryngeal, pancreatic, renal, ureteral, or bladder (oral-bladder) cancer; and 975 with cancer at other sites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Current smokers at time of examination had a higher incidence than nonsmokers for each of the three cancer site categories. Eighty-five percent of lung cancer cases diagnosed among current and never smokers can be attributed to cigarette smoking. The attributable risks were 46%, 16%, and 29%, respectively, for oral-bladder cancers, other cancers, and all cancers combined. In turn, the corresponding attributable risks were 60%, 26%, 13%, and 21% in comparing current smokers with past smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current smokers can greatly reduce their risk of cancer, especially lung cancer, if they quit smoking.
authors.affiliation: Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study, Kuakini Medical Center, Honolulu 96817.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Chyou
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Stemmermann
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015982:Bias; D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology