Focus on Lung Cancer

LUGANO, Switzerland-Women may be more vulnerable than men to the cancer-causing effects of smoking, according to a study presented at the 2009 European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology.

Swiss researchers studied 683 lung cancer patients who were referred to Kantonsspital St. Gallen between 2000 and 2005. The investigators found that women tended to be younger when they developed the cancer, despite having smoked, on average, significantly less than men.

“Our findings suggest that women may have an increased susceptibility to tobacco carcinogens,” reported Martin Frueh, MD, and colleagues.

Commenting on the study, Enriqueta Felip, MD, from Val d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, noted that the results support a growing awareness that smoking presents greater risks to women than men.

Women tend to be more aware of other cancers, such as breast cancer, she said.