Re: Radon Question/Radon Section HPS

["Björn Cedervall" <bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com>]

Tom and others,

>You say that 80% of the lung cancers in Iowa were in smokers.  >That's 
on the lower range of numbers I've seen.  Some reports use 85% and 
>90%.  Do you know if anyone has defined an average with range?  I'm 
>curious how wide the uncertainty is.  Many years ago I practiced 
>respiratory therapy.  Almost all of my patients were smokers or 
>x-smokers

One of the classical papers, Wynder and Graham, "Tobacco smoking...",
JAMA (1950) reported on 605 male U.S. lung cancer patients of whom 597 
were smokers (numbers taken from my memory but I am 99% sure that they 
are right). A near friend of mine (lung disease specialist) used to 
diagnose about 10 lung cancers per week for several years. According to 
him, 9 out of 10 were smokers.

When reading through all your previous comments about uranium miners, 
radon, particulate matters and so on, I wonder about the distinction 
between small cell lung carninoma (SCLC), non-SCLC (NSCLC) and 
mesothelioma. The latter diagnosis (which is rare) in particular, is 
probably important to separate from the former two categories. 
Especially in the discussion about cause (with asbestos fibers etc being 
one candidate). Please give the mesothelioma info. if you have it, 
whenever discussing this topic.

Sincerely Yours,

Bjorn
bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com
Depts. Medical Radiation Biology & Medical Radiation Physics,
Karolinska Institutet, Box 260, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Fax: Int + 468 343525 (Med. Radiation Physics)
Website: http://www.geocities.com/WallStreet/Exchange/8256/
Any opinions expressed above are those of mine and may not necessarily 
coincide with those of others.


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html