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Tobacco and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: combined analysis of three case-control studies (United States)

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Abstract

The role of tobacco in the etiology of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)was evaluated in a combined analysis of data from three population-basedcase-control studies conducted in four midwestern states of the UnitedStates: Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Kansas. Interviews were obtained from1,177 cases (993 men, 184 women) and 3,625 controls (2,918 men, 707 women )or, if deceased, from their next-of-kin. Overall, there was no associationbetween NHL and tobacco use (odds ratio [OR] = 1.0, 95 percent confidenceinterval [CI] = 0.8-1.1) or cigarette smoking (OR = 1.0, CI = 0.8-1.1). Aslight negative association evident in analyses by intensity and duration ofsmoking was not present when interviews from proxy respondents wereeliminated. There was a suggestion of a positive association between smokingand NHL among women (OR = 1.3, CI = 0.9-1.9), although there was no clearexposure-response relationship. This large case-control analysis provides noevidence that smoking is linked to the development of NHL among men. Thepossible role of smoking in the etiology of NHL among women needs furtherevaluation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Occupational Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, USA

    Shelia Hoar Zahm, Kenneth P. Cantor & Aaron Blair

  2. Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA

    Dennis D. Weisenburger

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, USA

    Frederick F. Holmes

Authors
  1. Shelia Hoar Zahm
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  2. Dennis D. Weisenburger
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  3. Frederick F. Holmes
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  4. Kenneth P. Cantor
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  5. Aaron Blair
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Zahm, S.H., Weisenburger, D.D., Holmes, F.F. et al. Tobacco and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: combined analysis of three case-control studies (United States). Cancer Causes Control 8, 159–166 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018412027985

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