Smoking and smoking cessation in relation to mortality in women

Stacey A Kenfield ¹, Meir J Stampfer , Bernard A Rosner

⁰Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, and Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. skenfiel@hsph.harvard.edu

Jama +

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May 8, 2008

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Quitting smoking significantly reduces mortality risk in women, with vascular risks decreasing rapidly and lung disease risks within 20 years. Early smoking initiation increases mortality from respiratory diseases and smoking-related cancers.

Area Of Science

Epidemiology
Public Health
Oncology

Background

Smoking is a known risk factor for numerous causes of death.
The precise impact of smoking cessation on mortality risk reduction requires further elucidation.
Evidence linking smoking to ovarian and colorectal cancers remains inconclusive.

Purpose Of The Study

To investigate the association between cigarette smoking and smoking cessation with overall and cause-specific mortality in women.
To quantify the mortality risk associated with smoking and the benefits of cessation.

Main Methods

A prospective observational study involving 104,519 female participants from the Nurses' Health Study.
Follow-up data collected from 1980 to 2004.
Hazard ratios (HRs) calculated for total mortality and specific causes including vascular, respiratory, lung cancer, other cancers, and other causes.

Main Results

Current smokers exhibited a significantly higher risk of total mortality (HR, 2.81) and cause-specific mortality compared to never smokers.
Smoking-related cancers showed a substantially elevated risk (HR, 7.25) in current smokers.
Mortality risk decreased with time after smoking cessation, approaching never-smoker levels within 20 years for all-cause mortality.

Conclusions

Smoking cessation rapidly mitigates vascular mortality risk and reduces lung disease mortality risk within 20 years.
Delayed smoking initiation is associated with reduced risk for respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and other smoking-related cancers.
Smoking is linked to increased colorectal cancer mortality risk, but not ovarian cancer mortality.

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