Gender differences in susceptibility to smoking among patients with lung cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether female smokers are more or less susceptible to the detrimental pulmonary-function effects of smoking when compared to male smokers among patients with lung cancer.


METHODS
Pack-years and pulmonary function indices were compared between 1,594 men and women with lung cancer who were smokers or had a history of smoking. Differences in individual susceptibility to smoking were estimated using a susceptibility index formula.


RESULTS
Of the patients, 959 (92.8%) men and 74 (7.2%) women were current smokers. Common histological types of lung cancer were squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and small cell carcinoma, among others. Women had a lower number of pack-years, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1), liters), forced vital capacity (FVC, liters), and total lung capacity (TLC, liters) compared to those of men (25.0 ± 19.2 vs. 42.9 ± 21.7 for pack-years; 1.4 ± 0.5 vs. 2.0 ± 0.6 for FEV(1); 3.0 ± 0.7 vs. 2.0 ± 0.6 for FVC; 4.5 ± 0.8 vs. 5.7 ± 1.0 for TLC; all p < 0.001). The susceptibility index for women was significantly higher compared to that of men (1.1 ± 4.1 vs. 0.7 ± 1.1; p = 0.001). A significant inverse association was shown between the susceptibility index and TLC and FVC (r = -0.200 for TLC, -0.273 for FVC; all p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the detrimental effects of smoking on pulmonary function are greater in women, as compared to those in men, among patients with lung cancer.
Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea. jsryu@inha.ac.kr
Jeong-Seon
JS
Ryu
Sang-Hoon
SH
Jeon
Jung-Soo
JS
Kim
Jung Hwan
JH
Lee
Seong Hyun
SH
Kim
Ji Taek
JT
Hong
Ju Hong
JH
Jeong
Ji Joong
JJ
Jeong
Myung Dong
MD
Lee
Sang Joon
SJ
Min
Hae-Seong
HS
Nam
Jae-Hwa
JH
Cho
Seung-Min
SM
Kwak
Hong Lyeol
HL
Lee
Hyun-Jung
HJ
Kim
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology