History of cigarette smoking and risk of leukemia and myeloma: results from the Adventist health study.
The risks of leukemia and myeloma associated with cigarette smoking were evaluated in a cohort study of 34,000 Seventh-day Adventists. Although Seventh-day Adventists do not smoke by church proscription, many are adult converts who smoked cigarettes prior to their baptism into the church. In comparison with those who never smoked, ex-smokers experience a relative risk of 2.00 (95% confidence interval = 1.01-3.95) for leukemia and 3.01 (95% confidence interval = 1.13-8.05) for myeloma. Risks increased in a dose-response fashion with increasing numbers of cigarettes smoked daily for both leukemia (trend P = .009) and myeloma (trend P = .005). Also, the risks of both leukemia and myeloma increased with the total duration of cigarette smoking. The cigarette smoking-leukemia relationship was strongest for myeloid leukemia, for which ex-smokers experienced a relative risk of 2.24 (95% confidence interval = 0.91-5.53). These data lend support to the hypothesis that cigarette smoke may induce malignant degeneration in bone marrow and its products.
Mills
P K
PK
Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Calif.
Newell
G R
GR
Beeson
W L
WL
Fraser
G E
GE
Phillips
R L
RL
D002140:California; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000453:epidemiology; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012067:Religion; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires