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2, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ETIOLOGY

Lung Cancer in the Young. Roviaro, G.C., Varoli, F., Zannini, P. et al. ist Surgical Clinic, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. Chest 87: 456-459, 1985.

A long-term retrospective study was car-. ried out on 1,514 cases of lung cancer to assess whether the disease presents sub- stantial differences in young as compared to older patients. Clinical, epidemiologic, surgical, and survival data were evaluated in all cases. A young group under 45 years of age was studied separately and compared with the remaining older patients. In con- trast with the literature, our results showed no precentage increase or variation in the male/female ratio of lung cancer in the young group. No significant differences was found regarding clinical picture, opera- bility, histotype, and prognosis.

Smoking and Other Risk Factors for Lung Cancer in Women. WU, A.H., Henderson, B.E., Pike, M.C., Yu, M.C. Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90033, U.S.A.J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 74: 747-751,

1985. A case-control study among white women

in Los Angeles County was conducted to inve- stigate the role of smoking and other fac-

tors in the etiology of lung cancer ~n women. A total of 149 patients with adeno- carcinoma (ADC) and 71 patients with squa- mous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung and their age- and sex-matched controls were interviewed. Personal cigarette smoking accounted for almost all of interviewed. Personal cigarette smoking accounted for almost all of SCC and about half of ADC in this study population. Among nonsmokers, slightly elevated relative risk(s) (P/R) for ADC were observed for passive smoke expo- sure from spouse(s) (RR = 1.2: 95% confi- dence interval (C1) = 0.5, 3.3) and at work (RR = 1.3; 95% Cl = 0.5, 3.3). Childhood pneumonia (RR = 2.7; 95% Cl = 1.1, 6.7) and childhood exposure to coal burning (RR = 2.3; 95% Cl = 1.0, 5.5) were additional risk factors for ADC. For both ADC and SCC, increased risks were associated with de- creased intake of beta-carotene foods but not for total preformed vitamin A foods and vitamin supplements.

Bronchogenic Carcinoma in 01msted County, 1935-1979. Beard, C.M., Annegers, J.F., Woolner, L.B. et al. Department of Medical Statistics, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN, U.S.A. Cancer 55: 2026-2030, 1985.

The incidence rates of bronchogenic

carcinoma based upon 414 cases that occurred in Olmsted County, Minnesota, over a period of 45 years are described. Histologic preparati- ons were available for 97% of cases and were reviewed by one pathologist. The overall ave- rage annual age-adjusted rates per i00,000 per- son-years for the most recent 5 years were 45.6 and 14.0 for men and women, respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma was most common among men and adenocarcinoma was the most common cell type among women. Incidence rates for wo- men have risen to approximately those of men 30 years ago, whereas the incidence for men in the last 5 years has ceased to increase. Age-specific rates show increases for women in all age groups 55 years and older, and for men 65 years and older, whereas the incidence in men younger than 65 years has declined. Survi- val for 5 years is best for women for all cell types except small cell carcinoma, and is es- sentially unchanged from the earlier 40-year report.

Professional Driving, Smoking, and Lung Cancer: A Case Referent Study. Damber, L., Larsson, L.G. Centre of Oncology, University Hospital, S-901 85 Umea, Sweden. Br. J. Ind. Med. 42: 246-252, 1985.

In a case reference study of about 600 cases of male lung cancer in northern Sweden the risk in professional drivers was specifi- cally studied. Data concerning occupations, time and type of employment, and smoking habits were collected by questionnaires directed to close relatives. On average, professional drivers were heavier smokers and this was the chief cause of a slightly increased crude risk ratio in the study as a whole. Smoking drivers in an upper age group (70 and over) had a high re- lative risk of lung cancer, whereas in a lower age group (under 70) no significant increase was found. The relative risk in non-smoking drivers in the upper age group was moderately raised with borderline statistical significan- ce. The high risk estimated for smoking drivers in the upper age group suggests a synergistic effect between smoking and occupational exposu- re.

Evaluation for Compensation of Asbestos-Exposed Individuals. II. Apportionment of Risk for Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma. Chase, G. R., Kotin, P., Crump, K., Mitchell, R.S. Manville Corporation, Denver, CO 80217, U.S.A.J. Occup. Med. 27: 189-198, 1985.

The incidence of lung cancer in the cigaret- te smoking population occupationally exposed to asbestos is inordinately high. A method for apportioning risk to these two agents has been developed. It utilizes degree of asbestos and smoking exposures; the time interval from onset and, where applicable, termination of both ex- posures; the time interval to diagnosis 9f lung cancer; and morphologic, physiologic, and radi-

ological evidence of pulmonary fibrosis.