[Cancer prevention by stopping smoking].
Many epidemiological studies have revealed that cigarette smoking is associated with lung cancer and several other cancers and that the risk of lung cancer decreased after smoking cessation. The risk attributable to smoking from cancer can be calculated from the relative risk for smokers and the proportion of smokers in a given population. In Japan 26.7% of cancer of all sites was attributable to smoking among males, whereas only 4.4% was attributable to smoking in females, mainly because of their lower smoking frequency. It was also estimated that if the smoking rate was decreased from the present level of 56.1% to 40% and 20%, 7.7% and 17.2% of cancers of all sites could be prevented in males. The preventable fraction of cancer in females was small (1.4% and 2.9%) even if the smoking rate was decreased from the present level of 14.5% to 10% and 5%. Among males, 65.9% of lung cancer was considered attributable to smoking, and were the smoking rate decreased from the present level of 56.1% to 40% and 20%, up to 18.9% and 42.4% of lung cancer could be prevented. In view of the recent remarkable increase of lung cancer in Japan and the relatively low mortality reducing efficacy of lung cancer screening, it is necessary to promote primary prevention of lung cancer and of other smoking-related cancerous and non-cancerous diseases by extensive smoking control.
Tominaga
S
S
Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute.
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation