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Risk factors for primary lung cancer among never smokers by gender in a matched case–control study

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Abstract

Objective

Lung cancers that occur in never smokers differ from those that occur in smokers. We performed an analysis of potential epidemiological risk factors for lung cancer among never smokers.

Methods

In this hospital-based matched case–control study, all 1,540 matched case–control pairs were Han Chinese in Taiwan. The data on demographic characteristics, smoking habit, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, medical history of lung diseases, family history of lung cancer, and female characteristics were collected from a structured questionnaire. A multiple conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals after adjusting for possible confounders.

Results

Overall, several epidemiological factors of lung cancer in never smokers were different between males and females. For the female population, subjects who were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (OR = 1.39, 95 % CI = 1.17–1.67) with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis and with family history of lung cancer in first-degree relatives (OR = 2.44, 95 % CI = 1.79–3.32) had higher risk of lung cancer, while subjects with a history of hormone replacement therapy and using fume extractors for those who cooked were protective. For the male population, only subjects with family history of lung cancer in first-degree relatives (OR = 2.77, 95 % CI = 1.53–5.01) were significantly associated with risk of lung cancer.

Conclusion

This study provides insights about the epidemiological factors of lung cancer in never smokers, adding to existing evidence that family history of lung cancer and environmental tobacco smoke may moderate lung cancer risk.

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Abbreviations

OR:

Odds ratio

CI:

Confidence interval

COPD:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

ETS:

Environmental tobacco smoke

HRT:

Hormone replacement therapy

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the patients and controls who participated in this study and GELAC staffs. This work was supported by DOH95-TD-G-111-015 from the National Research Program on Genomic Medicine in Taiwan, and 95A1-BSAP01-002 from the National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan.

Conflict of interest

The authors state no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan

    Yen-Li Lo, Chin-Fu Hsiao, Che-Wei Hsin, Chin-Hao Chang & Chao A. Hsiung

  2. Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

    Gee-Chen Chang

  3. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ying-Huang Tsai

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Ming-Shyan Huang

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University College of Medicine and Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan

    Wu-Chou Su

  6. Chest Department, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yuh-Min Chen

  7. Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Pan-Chyr Yang

  8. Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chien-Jen Chen

Authors
  1. Yen-Li Lo
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  2. Chin-Fu Hsiao
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  8. Che-Wei Hsin
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  9. Chin-Hao Chang
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  11. Chien-Jen Chen
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  12. Chao A. Hsiung
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chao A. Hsiung.

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Lo, YL., Hsiao, CF., Chang, GC. et al. Risk factors for primary lung cancer among never smokers by gender in a matched case–control study. Cancer Causes Control 24, 567–576 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9994-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9994-x

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