title: Predictors of lung cancer: noteworthy cell type differences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study risk factors for cell types of lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study of 126,293 persons with 1852 subjects with incident cancer. We performed Cox proportional hazards models (8 covariates) to estimate risk of the 4 most numerous specific cell types: adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smoking 1 or more cigarette packs per day was a powerful predictor (p < 0.0001) of all cell types, with hazard ratios ranging from 5.8 for bronchioloalveolar to 62.7 for squamous cell carcinoma. Other hazard ratio ranges included male/female from 0.6 (bronchioloalveolar, p < 0.05) to 2.0 (squamous, p < 0.001); black/white from 0.8 (small cell, p < 0.05) to 1.7 (squamous, p < 0.001); Asian/white from 0.8 (small cell) to 1.9 (bronchioloalveolar); and alcohol intake of 3 or more drinks per day from 1.0 (squamous) to 1.5 (adenocarcinoma, p < 0.01). College graduation and increasing body mass index were inversely related to risk of several cell types. Noteworthy sex-specific associations included increased risk of Asian vs white women for adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and substantially increased risk of adenocarcinoma in women with alcohol intake of 3 or more drinks per day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These risk factor disparities for lung cancer cell types presumably reflect biologic differences. Future investigation may contribute to increased understanding of tumorigenesis and optimal treatment.
authors.affiliation: Internist at the Oakland Medical Center in CA, USA. nicole.h.tran@kp.org
authors.forename: H Nicole
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Stanton
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baer
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Udaltsova
authors.forename: Arthur L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Klatsky
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects