Tobacco.org

LIZ SMITH  

THE BIGGEST event of the immediate future is the Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Cancer Center benefit called "Steps for Breath II," a 5k fun run/walk to raise money to fight lung cancer. This happens for folks of all ages this coming Sunday, when energetic souls meet on Pond Lane in front of the Cultural Center in Southampton. Call (212) 639-7975. It's $25 per adult, $10 per child.

You can have the white wine chilling when you get home. Mayor Bloomberg should go for this; it's all about not smoking cigarettes!

Jump to full article »

Lung Cancer Risk Higher for Breast Cancer Survivors 

Women diagnosed with breast cancer have an increased risk of developing lung cancer several years later, the results of a large Swedish study suggest.

Why breast cancer survivors might be more likely to develop lung cancer is uncertain, but the risk could stem from an interaction between the effects of tobacco smoke and the radiation sometimes used to treat breast cancer, suggests a team led by Dr. Michaela Prochazka of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

Thanks to improved treatment for breast cancer, more and more women with the disease are becoming long-term survivors, according to the study's senior author, Dr. Per Hall, also of the Karolinska Institute. As a result, Hall told Reuters Health, the long-term health effects of cancer therapy have become "increasingly important."

Several reports have suggested that radiation therapy, which is sometimes used after surgery to remove a breast tumor, increases the risk of lung cancer. . .

Hall noted that another study that included the same group of women showed that women diagnosed with cancer in their left breast had an increased risk of heart attack. Now, the researchers plan to study the possible effects of smoking, as well as diabetes, high blood pressure and other diseases, on the risk of lung cancer in women who have had breast cancer.

SOURCE: European Journal of Cancer 2002;38:1520-1525.

Jump to full article »

Risk factors for lung cancer among nonsmoking women 

To evaluate risk factors for lung cancer in nonsmoking women, we used data of a case-control study conducted between 1991 and 1996 in Germany. . . No significant increase in risk with increasing residential radon levels or with the presence of a family history of lung cancer was apparent. Protective effects were observed for high vs. low consumption of fresh vegetables (OR=0.5; CI:0.25-0.82) and cheese (OR=0.3, CI:0.21-0.55). ETS at work, occupational hazards and previous pneumonia may be risk factors for lung cancer in nonsmoking women, while a diet rich in fresh vegetables and cheese seems to be protective. (c) 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Received: 22 February 2002; Revised: 17 May 2002; Accepted: 20 May 2002

Jump to full article »

New York lung cancer study draws criticism 

The New York Early Lung Cancer Action Program (NY-ELCAP) has come under fire from researchers who claim the study has fundamental design flaws, could harm participants by overdiagnosis, and is a poor use of public funds.

Estimated to cost $10 million over two years, NY-ELCAP was funded primarily by tobacco settlement money. It is already halfway to its target of providing spiral CT screening for 10,000 people who are at risk for lung cancer.

The critique, led by Dr. Steven Woloshin, a researcher at Dartmouth University's VA Medical Center, charged that without a control group the study cannot establish whether screening with CT saves lives. It appeared in the June 15 Lancet.

"The flaw is not in ELCAP itself, but in drawing inferences about the benefit of screening from it, namely, that it reduces one's chance of lung cancer death. NY-ELCAP is advertised this way -- the original Lancet paper didn't make this inference," Woloshin said.

Jump to full article »

Contribution of the NQO1 and GSTT1 Polymorphisms to Lung Adenocarcinoma Susceptibility1  

Lung adenocarcinoma has replaced squamous cell lung carcinomaas the most frequent histological subtype in lung cancers. However, genetic factors that affect cancer susceptibility are much less understood in adenocarcinoma than in squamous cell carcinoma. In this study, polymorphisms in five genes involved in the metabolism of carcinogens or in the repair of damaged DNA in lung cells, NQO1-Pro187Ser, GSTT1-positive/null, GSTM1-positive/null, CYP1A1-Ile462Val, and OGG1-Ser326Cys, were examined for association with lung adenocarcinoma risk in a case-control study . . .

The result indicates that the NQO1-Pro/Pro and GSTT1-null genotypes are risk factors for lung adenocarcinoma development, and that the genetic factors for susceptibility to adenocarcinoma are different from those to squamous cell carcinoma. The enhanced risk of the NQO1-Pro/Pro genotype combined with the GSTT1-null genotype was more evident in smokers than in nonsmokers. Therefore, carcinogens in tobacco smoke, which are activated by NQO1 and detoxified by GSTT1, could have a role in lung adenocarcinoma development.

Jump to full article »

Chemoprevention of lung cancer by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs among cigarette smokers.  

Information on the use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and prescription NSAIDs was obtained by personal interviews. Effects of NSAIDs on lung cancer risk were assessed by estimating odds ratios (relative risks) with 95% confidence intervals and performing trend tests. Daily intake of NSAIDs for at least 2 years prior to interview was associated with a 68% reduction in the relative risk of lung cancer (RR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.23-0.44; p<0.01). The inverse trend of lung cancer risk with increasing NSAID use was highly significant (p<0.01). Results were similar for men (RR, 0.41) and women (RR, 0.22), and for the individual compounds, aspirin (RR, 0.25) and ibuprofen (RR, 0.39). These results combined with the current molecular evidence suggest that regular NSAID intake may prevent tobacco carcinogenesis through COX-2 blockade.

Jump to full article »

UA to test selenium use to keep disease at bay 

What if taking a single, inexpensive pill once a day could stop the most deadly of all cancers - lung cancer - in its tracks?

That's the end of the research rainbow now getting under way at the University of Arizona.

It may not be known for years if taking a daily dose of the trace mineral selenium can help prevent lung cancer in those at high risk for it - former smokers - but UA researchers have launched the first study to find out.

During the next year, some 200 people with a long history of smoking - but who have now quit - will be given selenium or an inactive placebo pill.

They will then be tested to see if lung damage that leads to cancer has been stopped or even reversed in those taking the selenium.

"We are going to test this on people who are at significant risk for lung cancer - and with 44 million former smokers in this country, what we find out will affect a lot of people," said Dr. Linda Garland, lung cancer specialist at the Arizona Cancer Center, who is heading the UA study. . .

Selenium was chosen as the most promising agent to take on this huge challenge after earlier studies found that people with high selenium levels in their blood, due to dietary intake, have a lower risk of certain cancers.

The mineral, along with vitamins C and E, is known to have strong antioxidant activity - the ability to combat free radical, oxidizing damage at the cellular level that can trigger the onset of cancer.

Jump to full article »

Cigarette smoking and lung cancer: chemical mechanisms and approaches to prevention  

Much is now known about the carcinogens in cigarette smoke, their conversion to forms that react with DNA, and the miscoding properties of the resulting DNA adducts that cause the many genetic changes known to exist in human lung cancer. The chronic exposure of pulmonary DNA to a multitude of metabolically activated carcinogens is consistent with our current understanding of cancer as a disease resulting from many changes in key genes regulating growth. This review illustrates how this solid foundation of knowledge can be used to find new ways to prevent lung cancer. Three prevention-related topics are discussed: human uptake of tobacco carcinogens as a way of assessing risk and investigating mechanisms; individual differences in the metabolic activation and detoxification of carcinogens, which may relate to cancer susceptibility; and chemoprevention of lung cancer in smokers and ex-smokers. These new approaches are necessary as adjuncts to education and cessation efforts, which despite some success have not eliminated tobacco smoking.

Jump to full article »

Lung cancer chemotherapy resistance linked to systemic DNA repair capacity  

In patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, an effective DNA repair capacity (DRC) appears to be associated with poorer survival after treatment with chemotherapy, according to a report from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Dr. Margaret R. Spitz and associates collected blood samples from 375 patients within 4 months of diagnosis, prior to initiation of therapy. Patients were enrolled in the study between July 1995 and December 1999; followup was completed in October of 2001. The investigators measured DRC using a host cell reactivation assay in which the activity of lymphocyte chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene was analyzed.

As reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute for July 17, DRC was unrelated to stage of disease or tumor histology, suggesting that "the general health of the patients did not contribute to the variability in DRC," the authors write. Furthermore, DRC had no effect on the relative risk of death among patients who received chemotherapy and those who did not.

Jump to full article »

Screen May Detect High-Risk Lung Cancer 

Michigan scientists have developed a method of identifying which patients with early-stage lung cancer might benefit most from aggressive treatment.

Though the screening, which looks for genetic markers of aggressive cancer in tumor cells, is not yet ready for widespread use, the analysis eventually may help patients with high-risk cancers live longer, according to researcher Dr. David G. Beer. . .

That may soon change, according to findings published in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Medicine. Using technology called microarrays, which make it possible to view thousands of genes at once on a single chip, researchers at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor analyzed tumor samples from 86 patients with early- or late-stage adenocarcinoma, the most common type of non-small-cell lung cancer. Based on this analysis, Beer and colleagues compiled a list of the 50 genesmost associated with patient survival.

Jump to full article »

Faulty gene puts smokers at risk 

Smokers who inherit a particular faulty gene could triple their chances of getting lung cancer, research suggests.

Tobacco is the biggest cause of lung cancer, but the risk that smokers will develop the disease varies.

This has led scientists to believe that genetics may play a part in deciding who is most susceptible to the disease.

German researchers have found that a quarter of patients with the most common form of lung cancer carry a particular version of a gene involved in keeping the airways clear.

By contrast only 9% of healthy people carried it.

Jump to full article »

Faulty gene increases lung cancer risk 

Smokers triple their risk of lung cancer if they have a particular faulty gene.

German researchers found that a quarter of patients with the most common form of lung cancer carry a defective version of the gene, which plays a role in keeping the airways clear.

By contrast, only 9% of healthy people had the gene variant.

The scientists, from the Philipps-University of Marburg, studied 117 lung cancer patients, almost all of whom were or had been smokers. . .

The findings showed that one version of the surfactant protein B gene, which is essential for normal lung function, was significantly more widespread among the lung cancer patients.

Jump to full article »

• Gene Linked to Tripled Lung Cancer Risk 

Scientists in Germany may have solved a conundrum that has been puzzling cancer researchers for years -- why not all smokers develop the deadly disease, the British Journal of Cancer said on Tuesday.

It said research showed a particular variant of a gene necessary for healthy lung function appeared much more often in smokers with lung cancer than those without.

The scientists studied 117 patients with lung cancer and compared them to a similar number of healthy people and another group of smokers suffering from a variety of lung ailments but not cancer.

"The study showed that one version of the surfactant protein B gene, which is essential for normal lung function, was found in a significantly higher number of lung cancer patients than those in the other groups," it said.

The gene variant was found in a quarter of the group suffering the most common type of lung cancer, compared to nine percent of healthy people.

Anti-cancer campaigners welcomed the news.

Jump to full article »

American Female Smokers Can Learn From Denmark 

An epidemic of lung cancer deaths is sweeping the Scandinavian country of Denmark. On a recent trip to Copenhagen, we found out that what's happening there provides a cautionary tale for women smokers in this country. Roz Abrams reports.

Nanna Skovaard started smoking when she was 15. At 29, she's still smoking a pack a day.

Nanna Skovaard, Smoker: "It's strange because I quit a year ago and I quit for five months and then suddenly I started again. Now, I'm smoking like a madman."

A lot of Danish women smoke. In fact, Denmark has the highest lung cancer rate among women in the world.

In a tiny Scandinavian country, Denmark is half the size of Maine with at total population of just over half-million. Each year, over 1300 women die from lung cancer. Another 3700 succumb to smoking related diseases like emphysema and bronchitis. . .

So when did all this smoking begin? Well, you have to go back to the 1950's and that's when Danish women started working outside the home.

Dr. Falk: "The women's emancipation thing came rather early in our country. So you know, maybe it was a way to show that I'm in position that I could deal with my own life. I'm not dependent on my husband's salary."

Then there is the quest to be thin. . .

But there is some good news for women who can't kick the habit. Duke University just announced that it is working to develop the first blood test to detect lung cancer in its early stages.

The work being done at Duke University is really important because of women's emancipation, the women's liberation movement hit this country in the 1970's. That means that our wave of lung cancer deaths could be just around the corner.

Jump to full article »

Over 50 lung cancer cases in Limerick annually  

DISTURBING statistics reveal that 50 lung cancer cases develop in Limerick each year.

According to the Irish Cancer Society's results of a recent survey, conducted to determine the impact of smoking on sporting ability particularly in the 15-24 age group, there is an average of 59 new cases of lung cancer in Limerick annually.

The survey also reveals that smoking has considerable short-term effects on sporting performance and fitness levels. . .

The survey found that 49 per cent of smokers in the 15-24 age group said smoking had a high impact on their sporting ability while another 30 per cent rated it significant.

Jump to full article »