Marriage to a smoker and lung cancer risk

As part of a population-based case-control study of lung cancer in New Mexico, we have collected data on spouses' tobacco smoking habits and on-the-job exposure to asbestos. The present analyses include 609 cases and 781 controls with known passive and personal smoking status, of whom 28 were lifelong nonsmokers with lung cancer. While no effect of spouse cigarette smoking was found among current or former smokers, never smokers married to smokers had about a two-fold increased risk of lung cancer. Lung cancer risk in never smokers also increased with duration of exposure to a smoking spouse, but not with increasing number of cigarettes smoked per day by the spouse. Our findings are consistent with previous reports of elevated risk for lung cancer among never smokers living with a spouse who smokes cigarettes.