Environmental tobacco smoke and cancer of sites other than the lung in adult non-smokers

Abstract

Evidence from epidemiological studies relating environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure to risk of cancer of sites other than the lung in adult non-smokers is reviewed. Problems common to many studies include small sample size, inadequate control of potential confounding, failure to consider the possibility of misclassification of smoking status, reliance on death certificate diagnosis, use of proxy respondents and the possibility of recall bias. A number of the studies have other obvious weaknesses. Publication bias is known to be a problem, with two very large prospective studies having reported only very limited results. For cancers of the digestive system, bladder and brain, there is little evidence of an association with ETS exposure. Some studies have reported a relationship with cancer of the breast, cervix or nasopharynx, but the overall evidence for these sites is inconsistent and inconclusive, as is that for total cancer incidence. All three studies of nasosinus cancer have reported a statistically significant association with ETS exposure, but they are small, control poorly for potential confounding and have other weaknesses. Taken as a whole, the epidemiological evidence provides little support for the view that ETS causes cancer of any of the sites considered.