[Smoking and lung cancer: attributable risks according to gender]

Abstract

Background: The association between Lung Cancer and smoking is well documented. However there is less information about the estimation of its attributable fraction and population burden.

Aim: To estimate the attributable risk and population attributable risk of smoking among Lung Cancer patients attended in Public Health Services at Santiago.

Material and methods: A case control study matched by age was carried out. Crude and adjusted attributable and population attributable risks were estimated, controlling for potential confounders and interaction variables.

Results: Mean age for cases was 63 years for women and 67 years for men. Lung Cancer patients had a higher smoking prevalence than controls (64.5% and 39.7% respectively among women; 95.8 and 67.1 respectively among men p<0.01). Heavy smoker proportion was 4 times higher among patients that smoked 5 to 10 years more (women and men respectively, p<0.01) and 3 times more cigarettes per day (p<0.01). Attributable risk for women was 64.4% and 90.4% for men. Population attributable fraction was 41.9% and 86.3% for women and men, respectively. Projecting these estimates to the Chilean population, approximately 1975 new cases per year of Lung Cancer caused by smoking will be diagnosed.

Conclusions: Attributable risks of smoking for Lung Cancer are high and significant, even when they are adjusted by confounding variables.