Lung cancer etiology

Around 20,000 cancer patients experience spinal cord compression in the United States every year, most of which involves the thoracic spine (approximately 70%). Cancers that inherently metastasize to bone (e.g., breast, prostate, and lung) are the most frequent etiologies identified. Most spinal cord compression occurs in patients with a known malignancy however, 8% to 34% occurs as the initial presentation of cancer, especially in patients with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and lung cancer.17... 

However, so far, only a few small-scale epidemiological surveys have been carried out or started to study the possible influence of the exposure to Rn-222 progeny in dwellings on the etiology of lung cancer in the general population, and the evidence of these findings is inconclusive. 

Wagoner JK, Infante PF, Bayliss DL Beryllium An etiologic agent in the induction of lung cancer, nonneoplastic respiratory disease, heart disease among industrially exposed workers. Environ Res 21 15-34, 1980... 

Shields, P. G. NCI, NIH Molecular epidemiology of human lung cancer Division of Cancer Etiology... 

Nishimoto, Y., M. Yamakido, S. Ishioka, et al. 1988. Epidemiological studies of lung cancer in Japanese mustard gas workers. In Unusual Occurrences as Clues to Cancer Etiology, R.W. Miller et al., (eds). Japan. Sci. Soc. Press., Tokyo, pp. 95-101. 

Frank AL. 1982. The epidemiology and etiology of lung cancer. Clin Chest Med 3 219-228. 

Vainio H, Boffetta P. 1994. Mechanisms of the combined effect of asbestos and smoking in the etiology of lung cancer. Scand J Work Environ Health 20 235-242. 

A case-referent study of exposure to radon from the ground and bronchial cancer was carried out on 292 female lung cancer cases and 584 controls who had lived in Stockholm for 30 or more years. Lung cancer cases were diagnosed as oat cell and other types of anaplastic pulmonary carcinomas and the study concluded that radon and daughters were a significant etiologic factor in the cancers noted. 

The USPHS (20A109) made the following statement on the occurrence of Ni in tobacco smoke It is not likely that nickel plays a significant role in the etiology of lung cancer in cigarette smokers. ... 

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