RACE AND SEX-DIFFERENCES IN LUNG-CANCER RISK ASSOCIATED WITH CIGARETTE-SMOKING

Despite the extreme differences in the incidence of lung cancer between black and white Americans of each sex, little information is available on the sex-race-specific lung cancer risk due to tobacco use. In the current study, case-control data were examined for sex-race differences in the lung cancer risk associated with cigarette smoking. Results indicate that Kreyberg I lung cancers (squamous cell and oat cell carcinomas) are associated with heavier intensity of smoking than Kreyberg II lung cancer (adenocarcinomas and alveolar cell carcinomas); blacks are at higher risk than whites (relative risk = 1.8), and women are at higher risk than men for a given level of smoking (RR = 1.7). Our findings indicate the existence of important differences in the smoking-associated risk for lung cancer which depend upon sex, race, and histology.