Effects of a Combination of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A on Lung Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 334; no. 18; pp. 1150 - 1155
• Main Authors: Omenn, Gilbert S, Goodman, Gary E, Thornquist, Mark D, Balmes, John, Cullen, Mark R, Glass, Andrew, Keogh, James P, Meyskens, Frank L, Valanis, Barbara, Williams, James H, Barnhart, Scott, Hammar, Samuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 02.05.1996
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Analysis. Health state; Antioxidants - adverse effects; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Asbestos; Asbestos - adverse effects; beta Carotene; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Carotenoids - adverse effects; Carotenoids - therapeutic use; Double-Blind Method; Drug Therapy, Combination; Epidemiology; Female; General aspects; Humans; Incidence; Lung Neoplasms - chemically induced; Lung Neoplasms - epidemiology; Lung Neoplasms - prevention & control; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mortality; Occupational Exposure; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects; Vitamin A; Vitamin A - adverse effects; Vitamin A - therapeutic use; Women; United States; North America; America; Human; Adenocarcinoma; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Carotene; Mortality; Cardiovascular disease; Male; Supplemented diet; Malignant tumor; Epidemiology; Bronchopulmonary; Retinol; Vascular disease; Prevention; Follow up study; Atherosclerosis; Bronchus disease; Adult; Public health
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199605023341802

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in the United States, accounting for approximately 29 percent of deaths from cancer and 6 percent of all deaths. 1 New approaches are essential to prevent lung cancer in persons who have smoked cigarettes or who have had occupational exposure to asbestos. Twenty-nine percent of men and 25 percent of women who are 45 to 64 years of age currently smoke, 2 and at least 40 percent of men and 20 percent of women in this age group are former smokers. 3 An estimated 4000 to 6000 deaths from lung cancer per year . . .