Cancer Mortality and Smoking in British Doctors
Author Information
Author(s): Doll R, Peto R, Boreham J, Sutherland I
Primary Institution: Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit, Harkness Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK
Hypothesis
What is the relationship between smoking and cancer mortality among British doctors over 50 years?
Conclusion
The study found that smoking is significantly related to many types of cancer, but prostate cancer appears unrelated to smoking.
Supporting Evidence
- 11 of the 13 types of cancer classed as caused by smoking were significantly related to smoking.
- Prostate cancer showed no significant relationship with smoking.
- Colorectal cancer had a weak relationship with smoking that was not explained by alcohol consumption.
Takeaway
This study followed a lot of doctors for a long time to see if smoking caused cancer, and it found that smoking does cause many types of cancer, but not all.
Methodology
The study followed 34,439 male British doctors from 1951 to 2001, updating their smoking habits periodically and tracking their cancer mortality.
Potential Biases
There is a potential bias in the relationship between smoking and prostate cancer due to misattribution of cause of death.
Limitations
The study may not account for all confounding factors, such as alcohol consumption.
Participant Demographics
The participants were male British doctors.
Statistical Information
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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