Tobacco.org

• Bladder Cancer Risks Increase Over Time For Smokers  

Risk of bladder cancer for smokers has increased since the mid-1990s, with a risk progressively increasing to a level five times higher among current smokers in New Hampshire than that among nonsmokers in 2001-2004, according to a new study published online November 16 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Furthermore, researchers found that among individuals who smoked the same total number of cigarettes over their lifetime, smoking fewer cigarettes per day for more years may be more harmful than smoking more cigarettes per day for fewer years.

It is well known that cigarette smoking causes bladder cancer, but the influence of various parameters of smoking history, including trends in risk over time, is unclear.

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• EDITORIAL: Cigarette Smoking and Bladder Cancer: A New Twist in an Old Saga?  

So far, the changing carcinogenic properties of cigarettes have been studied most extensively for lung cancer, and it is known that this risk has increased over time (13). Furthermore, the relative risks of mortality from "other smoking-related cancers" increased for both men (RR = 2.7 to 3.5) and women (RR = 1.8 to 2.6) when a cohort established in 1959, with follow-up through 1965, and another cohort established in 1982, with follow-up through 1988, were compared (14). In cohort studies carried out in the United States, that reported the RR for current smokers relative to nonsmokers in relation to bladder cancer incidence. No increase in the association was observed in successive and overlapping cohorts in Washington County, Maryland (RR = 2.7 for bladder cancer incidence in current smokers relative to nonsmokers in the first cohort, followed from 1963 to 1988; RR = 2.6 in the second cohort, followed from 1975 to 1994) (15). A similar relative risk (RR = 2.9) was reported in a Hawaiian cohort followed from 1966 to 1988 (16). In a few recent cohort studies, reported RRs of bladder cancer incidence among current smokers relative to nonsmokers were notably higher: 5.7 in Seventh Day Adventists followed from 1976 to 1982 (17) and 5.5 in the Iowa Women's Health Study cohort followed from 1986 to 1998 (18). This evidence is equivocal but certainly does not rule out that the association has grown stronger over time.

The findings of Baris et al. (7) are provocative and are accompanied by a tenable hypothesis. Recalling the steady accumulation of evidence and the cautious inferences that eventually led to the determination that smoking causes bladder cancer, these intriguing findings offer a testable hypothesis that warrants thorough investigation. An important element of this research will be to more precisely, pinpoint the specific role of cigarette additives will be an important element of this research. This study highlights the need for continued vigilance in monitoring the impact of changing cigarette content and design on disease risk, and demonstrates that the public health implications of the changing cigarette content and design are potentially severe.

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• Bladder cancer risks increase over time for smokers 

Risk of bladder cancer for smokers has increased since the mid-1990s, with a risk progressively increasing to a level five times higher among current smokers in New Hampshire than that among nonsmokers in 2001-2004, according to a new study published online November 16 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Furthermore, researchers found that among individuals who smoked the same total number of cigarettes over their lifetime, smoking fewer cigarettes per day for more years may be more harmful than smoking more cigarettes per day for fewer years.

It is well known that cigarette smoking causes bladder cancer, but the influence of various parameters of smoking history, including trends in risk over time, is unclear.

Dalsu Baris, M.D., Ph.D., of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, in Bethesda, Md., and her colleagues from NCI, Dartmouth Medical School, and the departments of health for the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, examined bladder cancer risk in relation to smoking practices based on data from a large, population-based case-control study conducted in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont from 2001 to 2004.

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• Calif. group pushes for $1 tobacco tax increase for cancer research 

Smokers in California will have to dig much deeper into their pockets to buy a pack of cigarettes next year if a proposed ballot measure passes.

The Californians for a Cure plan is aimed at raising millions of dollars for cancer research, smoking prevention programs and to help bankroll anti-tobacco smuggling efforts. The measure is backed by, among others, cancer research and health advocates.

Their plan calls for a buck increase in the state's excise tax on tobacco, to $1.87 per pack. The money raised would flow into a trust fund. Sixty-cents of the dollar raised from a pack of smokes would to go to fund research on cancer and other smoking-related illnesses.

Under the plan, 20 cents would go to fund smoking cessation and tobacco use prevention programs, 15 cents would go to help fund research facilities, while three pennies would go to fund tobacco smuggling enforcement.

The plan calls for about two percent of the revenue to go for administrative costs.

How the money would be spent would be overseen by a nine-member oversight committee.

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• Report: Cancer Risk High as Smoking Surges in Africa 

Medical experts say tobacco-related illnesses are becoming a serious health issue in Africa as a new report warns tobacco use may double in some parts of the continent during the next 12 years. The report, from the Global Smokefree Partnership, warns that 90 percent of people in Africa have no protection against second-hand smoke.

Almost 15 percent of the world's population is in Africa, but right now the continent only accounts for four percent of world smokers.

The Global Smokefree Partnership, an initiative aimed at developing smoke-free policies around the world, says the continent needs to introduce strong smoke-free laws and high taxes on cigarettes in order to keep the number of smokers down and to limit the affects of second-hand smoke.

Antonella Cardone, project manager of the Partnership, says in some parts of Africa governments are taking important steps towards protecting their populations from the affects of tobacco.

"There are several countries now in Africa, which have developed smoke free policies," said Antonella Cardone. "We can definitely mention Niger and Kenya, then Mauritius - those are just a few."

But Cardone says in many African countries citizens still have no protection. Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda are highlighted in the report as countries that are failing to implement smoke-free laws.

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• Cancer hits Tennesseans hard  

Tennesseans die of cancer at the fifth-worst rate in the nation.

What kills them most frequently is cigarettes, but a powerful mix of misinformation and denial also drives up the death count.

A Tennessean examination that included dozens of interviews with doctors, cancer experts and patients across the state found health professionals frequently encounter people who have ignored symptoms for months or even years before going to a doctor. A lack of urgency or confusion about routine cancer screenings, coupled with misconceptions about treatment and even a fatalistic acceptance of the disease, leads to cancers being diagnosed too late to be treated successfully.

"There's a personal value system, a thought process that says, 'It can't be me,' and an incredibly complicated health system," said Mary Jane Dewey, director of the state Health Department's sole free cancer screening program. "Even people with insurance can't understand their policies."

Lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers are the most commonly diagnosed in the state. In the 2001-05 reporting period, more Tennesseans died from lung cancer — 20,629 victims — than from the other three combined. . . .

But money can be an issue. The Tennessee legislature put $10 million into smoking prevention and cessation programs for the first time for the 2007-08 fiscal year, but then halved that the following year. This year, the state's tobacco control program is running on a $1.5 million budget, all but $300,000 of that from a Centers for Disease Control grant.

The money pays for the state's 1-800-QUIT-NOW line, which matches smokers with counselors to help them quit, and literature.

But anti-smoking advocates look most longingly at the state's $4.8 billion settlement with tobacco companies, which it began receiving in annual payments in 1999. The legislature voted to put the money into the general fund; none into anti-smoking programs. Tennessee has collected $1.9 billion to date.

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• Cancer Experts Meet to Head Off Rise in African Tobacco Use 

Health officials say they have a "golden opportunity" to head off an epidemic in tobacco use in Africa and prevent many cancer cases.

While rich nations have taken action to reduce smoking, the World Health Organization says tobacco consumption in Africa is expected to grow by than four percent a year. That's why cancer experts are holding a major conference this week in Tanzania (Nov 11– 14).

Among those attending is Dr. Thomas Glynn, Director of International Cancer Control for the American Cancer Society and acting head of the Global Smokefree Partnership.

"This is really the first time in the history of public health that we have the opportunity to prevent an epidemic…. There's no doubt tobacco is on the rise here, but it's the one continent where we are ahead of the ball at this point," he says.

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• A review of human carcinogens—Part E: tobacco, areca nut, alcohol, coal smoke, and salted fish 

New evidence continues to add to the extensive list of tobacco-related cancers (table); there is now sufficient evidence that tobacco smoking causes cancer of the colon3 and of the ovary.4 More than 150 epidemiological studies of tobacco smoking and breast cancer were reviewed. Large cohort studies5, 6 published since 20022 consistently show a small positive association (relative risks 1·1—1·3). Many chemicals in tobacco smoke cause mammary-gland tumours in animals, and these carcinogens are stored in breast adipose tissue in women; therefore, the Working Group concluded that there is limited evidence that tobacco smoking causes breast cancer. A causal link between parental smoking and childhood cancers has been established. Four recent studies showed that children born of parents who smoke (father, mother, or both, including the preconception period and pregnancy) are at significantly higher risk of hepatoblastoma, a rare embryonic cancer. The UK Childhood Cancer Study7 reported a relative risk of 1·86 for paternal smoking only and 2·02 for maternal smoking only, increasing to 4·74 (95% CI 1·68—13·35) when both parents smoke. For childhood leukaemia, a meta-analysis reported an association with paternal smoking before pregnancy (summary relative risk 1·12, 1·04—1·21).8 Second-hand smoke causes lung cancer.2 There is now limited evidence for an association with cancers of the larynx and the pharynx,9 whereas evidence for female breast cancer remains inconclusive. Since second-hand smoke contains most of the constituents of mainstream smoke, it might also be associated with other cancer sites. Many types of smokeless tobacco are marketed and all contain nicotine and nitrosamines. Hundreds of millions of people use smokeless tobacco, mainly in India and southeast Asia, but also in Sweden and the USA. Earlier findings showed a causal association between use of smokeless tobacco and cancers of the oral cavity and pancreas, and there is now sufficient evidence for cancer of the oesophagus.10 All of the forms of tobacco discussed above induce malignant tumours in laboratory animals.

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• Cancer-Free Smokers Can Sue Philip Morris, Court Says (Update1)  

Philip Morris USA can be sued by cancer-free smokers seeking a court order that the company pay for medical monitoring for signs of the illness, the highest court in Massachusetts ruled.

Answering two state-law questions referred to it by a federal court where the smokers proposed a group lawsuit is pending, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today ruled that the long-term yet cancer-free smokers can pursue their monitoring claim according to state law.

“We must adapt to the growing recognition that exposure to toxic substances and radiation may cause substantial injury which should be compensable even if the full effects are not immediately apparent,” the high court said.

Philip Morris USA, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, is a unit of Richmond, Virginia-based Altria Group Inc. In a statement issued by an in-house attorney, the company disagreed with the court’s findings.

The smokers’ suit was filed in 2006 by Massachusetts resident Kathleen Donovan and two other people living in the state.

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• Star Scientific Breaks New Ground, Plans FDA Filing for Approval of First 'Modified Risk' Tobacco Product; Nominates Curtis Wright, MD, MPH for FDA Advisory Committee 

Star Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ: STSI) makers of low-nitrosamine smokeless tobacco products, announced today that the company will utilize a novel, patented method for cultivation, curing and preparation of tobacco to formulate dissolvable smokeless tobacco products. This new curing process was the subject of a patent application filed in December, 2008. Its use has resulted in tobacco leaf with significantly lower levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) than previously achieved using the StarCured(R) curing process: the International Agency for Research on Cancer previously has reported on the low levels of nitrosamines in Star's products. The company believes that this novel process, as reflected in its patent application, will enable the company to achieve the lowest toxin levels anywhere in the world. Star plans to submit the products to the FDA for approval to market as "modified risk" tobacco products, under Section 911 of the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, once formulation and testing of the new product is completed in early 2010.

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• Cancer society cuts Oneida ties over cigarettes 

The American Cancer Society says it's severing ties with the Oneida Indian Nation, jeopardizing the organization's annual Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser at the tribe's Turning Stone Resort and Casino.

The announcement came after the Oneidas said they've bought a cigarette manufacturing plant and will make their own cigarettes to sell. . . .

Syracuse University Coach Jim Boeheim, a cancer survivor who sits on the national board of Coaches vs. Cancer and hosts the event, said Thursday he disagrees with the cancer society's decision.

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• 'Ghost' star Patrick Swayze dies at 57 

Actor Patrick Swayze has died at the age of 57 after struggling with pancreatic cancer for almost two years, his publicist says. . . .

Swayze was also known for being a heavy smoker. In a January interview Patrick said one of the reasons that he would still continue to smoke was to lesson his daily battles.

"It's just I've been dealing with one thing as it comes at time, you know… in the… order that it's trying to kill me. Will stopping smoking now stop anything, change anything? No. But, when it looks like I may live longer than five minutes, I'll drop cigarettes like a hot potato," he told ABC on January 6, 2009.

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• Smoking Threatens Africa With Cancer Epidemic 

Tobacco use in Africa is growing faster than in other continents, says Dr. John Seffrin, who has been on the frontlines in the war against cancer for several years and now serves as the chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. Taking part in the recent LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland, he hailed the global unity shown in reducing the stigma of cancer and working harder at prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. He spoke with allAfrica.com.

How did the cancer summit come about?

Lance Armstrong [the American professional road racing cyclist who has survived cancer] and the Lance Armstrong Foundation decided that it was important to have not just another meeting on cancer, but a special summit that would bring together people from all over the world and a diverse group of people that would include scientists, public health professionals, survivors and advocates. The foundation raised money and worked with other organizations like the American Cancer Society to put this summit on. It was a smashing success and we hope it will be a launch pad for people to work better together to solve the cancer problem. . . .

How does Africa fit in when it comes to global tobacco use?

Africa has relatively low tobacco use prevalence rates. But it has the fastest increasing prevalence rates. They're low compared to China, where 60 percent of the men smoke, but they're going up faster than anywhere in the world. We at the American Cancer Society are committed to doing tobacco control in Africa because here's a chance to prevent an epidemic of disease that otherwise will happen.

The tobacco industry is rapaciously promoting its product in all areas of the world where prevalence rates are low. So we're targeting Africa and we need to get on the ground with prevention programs before it's too late. It's a lot easier to prevent people from starting ever to smoke than it is to get them to quit because it's so addictive. Here's an opportunity to get dramatic results and that is to prevent what has become the single largest cause of preventable death in the world: addiction to tobacco.

How might you go about doing that in Africa?

The number one thing that can be done in any part of Africa is to change current public policies. If every country in Africa would implement the protocols of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control they could get dramatic results.

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• Marijuana Linked To Reduced Risk Of Cancers  

According to a recent study, long-term pot smokers are 62 percent less likely to develop head and neck cancers than people who do not smoke marijuana.

The study featured 434 patients suffering from head and neck cancers, and compared them with 547 individuals without head and neck cancers.� All participants in the study were living in the Boston area from December 1999 to December 2003.

Researchers found that smoking marijuana from once every two weeks to three times every two weeks cut the risk of head and neck cancer in half. . . .

Marijuana has also been linked to the reduced risk of other cancers in previous studies.

Smoking marijuana has also been suggested to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, fight weight loss associated with AIDS, and reduce nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The medical field has mixed feelings about the effects of marijuana on human health.

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• Changing the course of cancer history 

More than 500 world leaders, non-governmental organisations, corporation representatives and individual advocates gathered this week at the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit at the RDS in Dublin.

The three-day event aimed to 'change the course of cancer in history' by providing a platform for world leaders to create a sustained movement to fight cancer.

The summit is an initiative of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), designed to address the global cancer burden. Founded and chaired by world-famous cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, the LAF is aimed at raising awareness, funding research and ending the stigma of cancer that many survivors face.

"Cancer will be the leading cause of death next year unless we act on a global level," said Mr Armstrong. "Our goal is to be the catalyst that brings everyone together to fight cancer - from survivors, like me, to advocates from the farthest reaches of the globe, to world leaders and policy makers who must commit completely to the effort to avoid a public health catastrophe."

On Monday, the summit saw the launch of the first report detailing the global burden of cancer in economic terms. . . .

On Tuesday the summit unveiled the 2009 edition of The Tobacco Atlas, revealing that tobacco use kills an estimated six million people a year and costs the global economy $500 billion annually.

The Atlas gives a complete overview of the global effects of tobacco. It reveals the prevalence and consumption of tobacco, the health risks and mortality associated with it, the economic costs of tobacco, gives health and quitting information, and advises on the future of the epidemic.

The Atlas describes Ireland as among the world leaders in tobacco control, confirming that Ireland and the UK are among the countries with the strongest tobacco control policies, delivering both economic and health benefits.

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