Abstract
A case-control study of lung cancer involving interviews with 965 female patients and 959 controls in Shenyang and Harbin, two industrial cities which have among the highest rates of lung cancer in China, revealed that cigarette smoking is the main causal factor and accounted for about 35% of the tumours among women. Although the amount smoked was low (the cases averaged eight cigarettes per day), the percentage of smokers among women over age 50 in these cities was nearly double the national average. Air pollution from coal burning stoves was implicated, as risks of lung cancer increased in proportion to years of exposure to 'Kang' and other heating devices indigenous to the region. In addition, the number of meals cooked by deep frying and the frequency of smokiness during cooking were associated with risk of lung cancer. More cases than controls reported workplace exposures to coal dust and to smoke from burning fuel. Elevated risks were observed for smelter workers and decreased risks for textile workers. Prior chronic bronchitis/emphysema, pneumonia, and recent tuberculosis contributed significantly to lung cancer risk, as did a history of tuberculosis and lung cancer in family members. Higher intake of carotene-rich vegetables was not protective against lung cancer in this population. The findings were qualitatively similar across the major cell types of lung cancer, except that the associations with smoking and previous lung diseases were stronger for squamous/oat cell cancers than for adenocarcinoma of the lung.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 24 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $10.79 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wu-Williams, A., Dai, X., Blot, W. et al. Lung cancer among women in north-east China. Br J Cancer 62, 982–987 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1990.421
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1990.421
This article is cited by
-
Reproductive factors and lung cancer risk: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis
BMC Public Health (2020)
-
Female reproductive factors and the risk of lung cancer in postmenopausal women: a nationwide cohort study
British Journal of Cancer (2020)
-
Impact of cooking oil fume exposure and fume extractor use on lung cancer risk in non-smoking Han Chinese women
Scientific Reports (2020)
-
Attributable fraction of tobacco smoking on cancer using population-based nationwide cancer incidence and mortality data in Korea
BMC Cancer (2014)
-
Reproductive factors and risk of lung cancer in female textile workers in Shanghai, China
Cancer Causes & Control (2013)