Summary
A cohort of 5,477 male Japanese physicians was studied to examine the relationship between smoking habits and mortalities from cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke over 12.7 years. The logistic regression analysis based on proportional hazard models was used for statistical assessment. The risks of both lung cancer and CHD were strongly associated with smoking habits in terms of the number of cigarettes smoked per day, inhalation level and age at starting to smoke. These associations were not influenced by the effect of drinking habits. However, the risk increment of lung cancer due to cigarette smoking was fairly small as compared with the data from other studies of male Caucasians. A statistically significant association was observed between upper aerodigestive cancer and cigarette smoking. But this relationship became insignificant after adjustment for drinking habits, and the risk of heavy smokers was drastically reduced. No clear association was noted between smoking and mortalites from gastric cancer and stroke.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burch PRJ (1983) The Surgeon General's “epidemiologic criteria for causality”. A critique. J Chronic Dis 36:821–836
Cox DR (1972) Regression models and life-tables. J R Stat Soc (B) 34:187–220
Doll R, Peto R (1976) Mortality in relation to smoking: 20 years' observations on male British doctors. Br Med J 2:1525–1536
Harrell FE Jr (1983) The PHGLM procedure. In: Joyner SP (ed) SUGI supplemental library user's guide, 1983. edition. SAS Institute Inc. Cary (NC), pp 267–294
Hinds MW, Stemmerman GN, Yang H, Kolonel LN, Lee J, Wegner E (1981) Differences in lung cancer risk from smoking among Japanese, Chinese and Hawaiian women in Hawaii. Int J Cancer 27:297–302
Hirayama T (1975) Prospective studies on cancer epidemiology based on census pupulation in Japan. In: Bucalossi P, Veronesi U, Cascinelli N (eds) Proceedings XI International Cancer Congress, Florence, 1974, Vol 3. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, pp 26–35
Kono S, Ikeda M, Ogata M, Tokudome S, Nishizumi M, Kuratsune M (1983) The realtionship between alcohol and mortality among Japanese physicians. Int J Epidemiol 12:437–441
Kono S, Ikeda M, Tokudome S, Yoshimura T, Nishizumi M, Kuratsune M (1985) Alcohol and cancer in male Japanese physicians. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 109:82–85
MacMahon B, Pugh TF (1970) Epidemiology. Principles and methods. Little, Brown and Company, Boston
Nishizumi M, Kuratsune M (1967) A survey of smoking habits of physicians in western Japan. Jpn J Public Health 14:1273–1294
Surgeon General (1979) Smoking and health. The United States Public Health Service, Rockville
Surgeon General (1982) The health consequences of smoking. The United States Public Health Service, Rockville
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Partly supported by the Fukuoka-ken Anticancer Society
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kono, S., Ikeda, M., Tokudome, S. et al. Smoking and mortalities from cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke in male Japanese physicians. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 110, 161–164 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402732
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402732