Attributable fraction of tobacco smoking on cancer using population-based nationwide cancer incidence and mortality data in Korea

Abstract

BackgroundSmoking is by far the most important cause of cancer that can be modified at the individual level. Cancer incidence and mortality rates in Korea are the highest among all Asian countries, and smoking prevalence in Korean men is one of the highest in developed countries. The purpose of the current study was to perform a systematic review and provide an evidence-based assessment of the burden of tobacco smoking-related cancers in the Korean population.MethodsSex- and cancer-specific population-attributable fractions (PAF) were estimated using the prevalence of ever-smoking and second-hand smoking in 1989 among Korean adults, respectively, and the relative risks were estimated from the meta-analysis of studies performed in the Korean population for ever-smoking and in the Asian population for passive smoking. National cancer incidence data from the Korea Central Cancer Registry and national cancer mortality data from Statistics Korea for the year 2009 were used to estimate the cancer cases and deaths attributable to tobacco smoking.ResultsTobacco smoking was responsible for 20,239 (20.9%) cancer incident cases and 14,377 (32.9%) cancer deaths among adult men and 1,930 (2.1%) cancer incident cases and 1,351 (5.2%) cancer deaths among adult women in 2009 in Korea. In men, 71% of lung cancer deaths, 55%–72% of upper aerodigestive tract (oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus and larynx) cancer deaths, 23% of liver, 32% of stomach, 27% of pancreas, 7% of kidney and 45% of bladder cancer deaths were attributable to tobacco smoking. In women the proportion of ever-smoking-attributable lung cancer was 8.1%, while that attributable to second-hand smoking among non-smoking women was 20.5%.ConclusionsApproximately one in three cancer deaths would be potentially preventable through appropriate control of tobacco smoking in Korean men at the population level and individual level. For Korean women, more lung cancer cases and deaths were attributable to second-hand than ever-smoking. Effective control programs against tobacco smoking should be further developed and implemented in Korea to reduce the smoking-related cancer burden.

Bladder Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Global Overview and Recent Trends

“…The main risk factor for bladder cancer is tobacco smoking; ever-smokers are considered to have a 2.5 times higher risk for this cancer than nonsmokers [30]. In various populations, tobacco has been found to be responsible for about half of all bladder cancer cases [31][32][33] and 40% of all bladder cancer deaths [32]. In this context, it is not surprising to see bladder cancer incidence and mortality patterns and trends (Fig.…”

Decreases in Smoking-Related Cancer Mortality Rates Are Associated with Birth Cohort Effects in Korean Men

“…We defined smoking-related cancer as oropharyngeal, esophageal, laryngeal, and lung cancer [5,6,15]. The annual number of deaths from these cancers and the corresponding mid-year population counts from 1984 to 2013 were extracted from Statistics Korea data (Available from: ) [4].…”

“…Cigarette smoking is recognized as a major risk factor for lung, oropharyngeal, esophageal, and laryngeal cancer and induce the misreplication of DNA and increased mutational signature [5]. The estimated attributable fraction due to smoking for death from these cancers is more than 50% [6]. Given the decrease in smoking rates since the mid-1980s, mortality rates for smoking-related cancers are likely to decline.…”

Lung cancer risk in professional drivers in Korea: A population‐based proportionate cancer incidence ratio study

“…Smoking rates in drivers aged between 30 and 59 (current smokers, 63.4%; ever-smokers, 79.9%), and the male general population aged between 30 and 59 (current smokers, 51.9%; ever-smokers, 81.3%) were obtained from the Third Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS, 2011) and the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2011), respectively. The relative risk (RR) of lung cancer for current smokers versus current nonsmokers was established to be 2.58 from the literature 15) . The current smoking rates of drivers and the male general population, and the RR of lung cancer among current smokers, were used to indirectly adjust for the cigarette smoking effect 14) .…”