Journal Watch, COLUMNS-Asbestos, October 2004

TITLE: "Prior Lung Disease and Risk of Lung Cancer in a Large Prospective Study."

SUMMARY: While 75 to 90 percent of people who develop lung cancer are smokers, only a small proportion of smokers develop lung cancer. Identifying factors that increase a smoker's risk of developing lung cancer may help scientists to better understand the etiology of lung cancer and more effectively target high-risk groups for screening. Information on physician-diagnosed non-malignant lung diseases (asbestosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, pneumonia and tuberculosis) was obtained at baseline from 17,698 people involved in CARET, a randomized lung cancer …