Related Experiment Videos
Mentholated cigarette use and lung cancer
S Sidney1, I S Tekawa, G D Friedman
1Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, Oakland, Calif.
Archives of Internal Medicine
|April 10, 1995
Summary
Mentholated cigarette smoking is linked to a higher lung cancer risk in men, but not women. This finding may help explain racial disparities in lung cancer incidence among men.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Menthol cigarette combustion yields carcinogenic compounds, including benzo[a]pyrenes.
- Mentholated cigarette use is disproportionately higher among Black individuals compared to White individuals.
- Lung cancer incidence is significantly higher in Black men than White men, with little racial difference in women.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between mentholated cigarette use and lung cancer risk in men and women.
- To determine if mentholated cigarette use contributes to the higher lung cancer rates observed in Black men.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 11,761 current smokers (≥20 years smoking history) from Northern California Kaiser Permanente was studied.
- Data on smoking habits, including mentholated cigarette use, were collected during health checkups (1979-1985).
- Follow-up through 1991 identified 318 incident lung cancer cases.
Main Results:
- Mentholated cigarette use was associated with a 45% increased relative risk of lung cancer in men (RR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.03-2.02).
- No significant association was found in women (RR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.51-1.11).
- A dose-response relationship was observed in men, with longer duration of mentholated cigarette use correlating with higher lung cancer risk.
Conclusions:
- Mentholated cigarette use is associated with an elevated risk of lung cancer in male smokers.
- The study did not find an increased risk of lung cancer associated with mentholated cigarette use in female smokers.