Preventable causes of cancer in Texas by race/ethnicity: tobacco smoking

• Published in: Epidemiology and health Vol. 43; pp. e2021046 - 6
• Main Authors: Gudenkauf, Franciska J., Thrift, Aaron P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Society of Epidemiology 13.07.2021; 한국역학회
• Subjects: cancer; health status disparities; Original; population attributable fraction; risk factors; tobacco use; 예방의학
• ISSN: 2092-7193; 2092-7193
• DOI: 10.4178/epih.e2021046

OBJECTIVES: Tobacco smoking is classified as carcinogenic to humans (International Agency for Research on Cancer Group 1). We aimed to estimate the percentage and number of incident cancer cases diagnosed in Texas in 2015 that were attributable to tobacco smoking, and we examined differences in the proportions of smoking-attributable cancers between the major racial/ethnic subgroups of the population.METHODS: We calculated population-attributable fractions for cancers attributable to tobacco smoking using prevalence data from the Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and relative risks associated with smoking status from pooled analyses of cohort studies or meta-analyses. Cancer incidence data were collected from the Texas Cancer Registry.RESULTS: We estimated that 19,000 excess cancer cases or 18.4% of all cancers diagnosed in 2015 in Texans aged ≥ 25 years were caused by tobacco smoking. Males had a higher overall proportion of cancers attributable to tobacco smoking than females (male, 23.3%, 11,993 excess cases; female, 13.5%, 7,006 cases). Approximately 20% of cancer cases in non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks were attributable to tobacco smoking compared to 12.8% among Hispanics.CONCLUSIONS: Despite ongoing public health campaigns combatting tobacco use, this preventable behavior still contributes significantly to cancer incidence in Texas. Racial/ethnic differences in smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable cancer incidence should be considered when designing cancer prevention programs.