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Can decreasing smoking prevalence reduce leukemia mortality?

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Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated a modest association between smoking and leukemia particularly for myeloid disorders. Our objective was to examine whether changing trends in cigarette smoking prevalence nationally and within selected states parallel similar trends in mortality from leukemia. Trends in national smoking rates were correlated with trends in leukemia mortality rates obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results registry, respectively. State-specific correlations were assessed from 1984 to 2004 using smoking prevalence data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and leukemia mortality data from National Vital Statistics System. Correlations were computed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Leukemia mortality decreased overall in the United States in parallel with decreased smoking. Analyzed on a state-specific basis, leukemia mortality decreased in states where smoking rates declined markedly but remained unchanged where smoking prevalences were relatively stable. The findings suggest that declining rates of leukemia mortality are associated with changing patterns of smoking behavior.

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Acknowledgments

Supported partially by grants from the National Cancer Institute Grant CA16056 (RV, MKC, AJH, ESW, MW), the Szefel Foundation (ESW), the Heidi Leukemia Research Fund (MW), and the Nancy C. Cully Endowment for Leukemia Research (MW), Buffalo, NY, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leukemia Section, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA

    Ramya Varadarajan, Eunice S. Wang & Meir Wetzler

  2. Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA

    Michael K. Cummings & Andrew J. Hyland

  3. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, SUNY-UB, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Eunice S. Wang

Authors
  1. Ramya Varadarajan
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  2. Michael K. Cummings
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  3. Andrew J. Hyland
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  4. Eunice S. Wang
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  5. Meir Wetzler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meir Wetzler.

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Author Contribution

Dr. Varadarajan collected the data and wrote the manuscript.

Dr. Cummings reviewed the data and assisted in manuscript preparation.

Dr. Hyland analyzed the data.

Dr. Wang reviewed the data and assisted in manuscript preparation.

Dr. Wetzler oversaw the conduct of the study and contributed to the manuscript preparation.

All authors reviewed the final manuscript and approved it.

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Varadarajan, R., Cummings, M.K., Hyland, A.J. et al. Can decreasing smoking prevalence reduce leukemia mortality?. Ann Hematol 89, 873–876 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-010-0957-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-010-0957-6

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