Smoking is Linked to Colon Cancer, But . . .
Sun, December 28, 2008 at 03:00AM Several studies have suggested there may be an association between smoking and colorectal cancer. Now a meta-analysis has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that confirms the connection.
The comprehensive search of the medical literature returned 106 observational studies, and 26 studies comparing risks for ever- versus never-smokers. The average relative risk for current vs. never-smokers was 1.07, and for former vs. never-smokers it was 1.17; both these findings were statistically significant, i.e. they could not have occurred by chance. The risks increased with the number of cigarettes smoked. For instance, a person who smoked a pack a day for 50 years or 2 packs a day for 25 years had a 24% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer, compared to a never-smoker.
Before we get too worried about this, we must accept that other studies have not shown such a relationship. This meta-analysis is persuasive, but the increased risk for ever- vs. never-smoking is small; it only becomes considerable when one smokes a pack a day or more for 25 years, according to these findings.
Smoker or not, you shouldn’t ignore the recommendations regarding the need for colonoscopy as you get older.
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