Risk of lung cancer death increased during last 50 years for women smokers

Researchers have found that changes in women’s smoking habits during the last several decades have significantly increased their risk of dying from lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when compared to past female smokers. The researchers analyzed 7 cohort studies to compare women’s smoking patterns and risk of death from smoking-related diseases to that of men over the past 50 years. In total the study included more than 2.2 million adults age 55 years and older. They found that as women began to smoke more like men, by starting younger and smoking more cigarettes per day, their risk of death rose to equal that of men. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Thun MJ, et al. 50-Year Trends in Smoking-Related Mortality in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2013; 368:251-364.