November 30, 2008
Study Shows Most Male Cancer Deaths Caused by Smoking
A recent study funded by UC Davis, the Health Research Board (Ireland), and the National Cancer Institute suggests that more than 70% of cancer deaths are caused by smoking, a much higher percentage than previous estimates of 34% in 2001. Data was analyzed from the National Center for Health Statistics to compare lung cancer death rates to the death rates from all other types of cancers in men from the State of Massachusetts. According to lead author Bruce Leistikow, M.D., M.S., a UC Davis Associate Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine, “This study provides support for the growing understanding among researchers that smoking is a cause of many more cancer deaths besides lung cancer.”
