at risk for cancer, says study
Nonsmokers whose close family members have had lung cancer, cancers of the mouth and throat, or female breast cancer are at greater risk of developing lung cancer themselves than are nonsmokers with no family history of cancer, according to a study by Yale Cancer Center researchers.
The study -- one of the largest to date examining family history of cancer as a risk factor for lung cancer in nonsmoking men and women -- is reported in the December issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
"This study confirms the association that others have seen between family history of certain cancers and cancer risk," says Susan T. Mayne, associate director for cancer prevention and control at the Yale Cancer Center. "It is the first study, however, to indicate a statistically significant link between lung cancer in nonsmokers and breast cancer in their mothers and sisters. This particular finding is intriguing, and we would like to see additional studies replicate it. Then, work could begin to try to identify the mechanisms underlying that link."
Exposure to second-hand smoke from family members did not explain the greater prevalence of lung cancer in the nonsmokers with a family history of cancer as compared to the control group, note the researchers.
"We looked at family history independent of the smoking status of the family members," says Mayne. "Even when passive smoke exposure was taken into account, family history remained a significant risk factor, indicating a genetic susceptibility to various cancers in families with lung cancer in nonsmokers."
The population-based, case-control study was conducted in New York State in the 1980s. Roughy half of the lung cancer cases and control group members had never smoked, with the remainder comprising former smokers who had quit at least 10 years before the interview.
The Yale Cancer Center is one of a select network of comprehensive cancer centers in the country designated by the National Cancer Institute and the only one in Southern New England. Bringing together the resources of Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Yale University School of Medicine, its mission encompasses patient care, research, cancer prevention and control, community outreach and education.
The center's Cancer Information Service provides up-to-date information on cancer prevention, detection and treatment Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
(See interview with Cancer Center director Dr. Vincent DeVita Jr.)
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