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Mentholated cigarette smoking and lung-cancer risk
C L Carpenter1, M E Jarvik, H Morgenstern
1Department of Preventive Medicine, USC School of Medicine, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Annals of Epidemiology
|February 26, 1999
Summary
This study found no significant difference in lung cancer risk between menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers. The higher lung cancer rates in African Americans are not explained by menthol cigarette use.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Menthol cigarettes may increase lung cancer risk due to added carcinogens and longer smoke retention.
- Conflicting results exist from limited studies on menthol smoking and lung cancer.
- African American males have higher lung cancer rates than Caucasian males, despite lower cigarette consumption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between menthol cigarette smoking and lung cancer risk.
- To examine if menthol smoking contributes to higher lung cancer rates in African Americans.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study compared 337 lung cancer cases with 478 population controls.
- In-person interviews collected data on smoking history and other lung cancer risk factors.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in lung cancer risk was observed between menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers.
- Odds ratios for menthol vs. non-menthol smokers were similar across ethnic groups (African Americans and Caucasians).
Conclusions:
- Smoking mentholated cigarettes appears to carry a similar lung cancer risk as non-mentholated cigarettes.
- The higher prevalence of menthol smoking in African Americans does not explain their increased lung cancer risk.