Lung cancer from passive smoking: hypothesis or convincing evidence?

Abstract

The epidemiological literature on passive smoking and lung cancer is reviewed and the well-known criteria for establishing a causal relationship are applied in order to determine what level of causal evidence currently exists. Three cohort studies and 12 case control studies are analysed. Of the prospective cohort studies, one contributes very little to our knowledge, one shows no risk increase and one results in a moderate risk increase of 1.74 for women married to heavy smokers. The last is the only study which has to be taken seriously, even when other considerations show that its results might be caused by chance, bias or confounding. None of the six case control studies yielding a positive relationship was conducted according to the state of art of epidemiological research, giving reasonable and sound evidence which cannot be explained by chance, bias, confounding or misclassification. Two studies contribute nothing to the evidence. None of the four case control studies yielding no risk change or a risk decrease can exclude the possibility that a causal relation exists. The epidemiological and toxicological evidence is discussed in the light of recent findings. The volume of accumulated data is conflicting and inconclusive. The observations on nonsmokers that have been made so far are compatible with either an increased risk from passive smoking or an absence of risk. Applying the criteria proposed by IARC there is a state of inadequate evidence. The available studies, while showing some evidence of association, do not exclude chance, bias or confounding. They provide, however, a serious hypothesis. Further studies are needed, if one wants to come to an adequate and scientifically sound conclusion concerning the question as to whether passive smoking causes lung cancer in man.