Lung cancer risk associated with cigar and pipe smoking

Abstract

A case-control study of 1,529 histologically confirmed male lung cancer cases and 2,899 controls matched for sex, age, hospital of admission and interviewer was conducted in France between 1976 and 1980. The results presented concern the effects of smoking habits, especially cigar and pipe use, on the occurrence of lung cancer, in a total of 38 exclusive cigar smokers, 61 exclusive pipe smokers and 586 mixed tobacco smokers. Exclusive cigar or pipe use (RR = 5.6 and 1.6 respectively) has been shown less harmful than exclusive cigarette smoking (RR = 13.3), mixed cigar and cigarette smoking (RR = 8.5) and mixed pipe and cigarette smoking (RR = 8.0). Different inhalation practices were observed according to smoking habits: while among exclusive cigarette smokers 29.8% never inhaled the smoke, among exclusive cigar and exclusive pipe users these percentages were 89.5% and 86.9 respectively. No significant increase with greater exposure to cigar was found among mixed cigar and cigarette smokers after adjustment for exposure to cigarettes, defined by duration and daily consumption of cigarettes (RR = 1.20), and by type of cigarettes smoked–light or dark, filter or nonfilter (RR = 1.13). Similar results were observed among mixed pipe and cigarette smokers after adjustment for cigarette exposure (RR = 0.95 and 1.04).