Contribution of epidemiology to the prevention of lung cancer.

CS08-03

Epidemiological studies have lead to the identification of tobacco smoking, involuntary smoking, indoor air pollution and several occupational agents as human lung carcinogens. Furthermore, a link with several other genetic and environmental factors has been suggested by epidemiology. Avoidance of these factors is largely possible, and would results in the prevention of a large proportion of lung cancers. Recent molecular epidemiological studies of lung cancer based on biomarkers of internal dose (e.g., cotinine), biologically effective dose (e.g., DNA and protein adducts), biological effect (e.g., gene mutations) and susceptibility (e.g., genetic polymorphism) have the potential to further contribute to the prevention of lung cancer via identification of environmental carcinogens, characterization of dose-response relationship for tobacco and other carcinogens, elucidation of mechanisms of carcinogenesis, definition of susceptible subgroups of the population and individual risk assessment.