title: Different profiles of carcinogen exposure in Chinese compared with US cigarette smokers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differences in carcinogen exposure from different cigarette products could contribute to differences in smoking-associated cancer incidence among Chinese compared with US smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urine concentrations of metabolites of nicotine, the tobacco-specific nitrosamine (TSNA) 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites (PAHs) were compared in 238 Chinese and 203 US daily smokers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing Chinese versus US smokers, daily nicotine intake and nicotine intake per cigarette smoked were found to be similar. When normalised for cigarettes per day, urine NNAL excretion was fourfold higher in US smokers, while the excretion of urine metabolites of the PAHs fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene metabolites was 50% to fourfold higher in Chinese smokers (all, p<0.0001). Similar results were seen when NNAL and PAHs excretion was normalised for daily nicotine intake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patterns of carcinogen exposure differ, with lower exposure to TSNA and higher exposure to PAHs in Chinese compared with US smokers. These results most likely reflect country differences in cigarette tobacco blends and manufacturing processes, as well as different environmental exposures.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT00264342.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Service, Departments of Medicine, and Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Neal L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Benowitz
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Maciej L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Goniewicz
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jiying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xinjian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Service, Departments of Medicine, and Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Peyton
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Stanton
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Glantz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000032:analysis*; D002681:China; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009602:Nitrosamines / Q000652:urine*; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000652:urine*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000652:urine*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002273:Carcinogens; D009602:Nitrosamines; D011721:Pyrenes; C016583:4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone; C030984:pyrene
keywords: Carcinogens; Global health; Nicotine