People who have a family history of lung cancer are at nearly double the risk of developing the disease themselves, according to new research. In a large-scale, population-based cohort, Japanese researchers studied the association between family history of lung cancer and subsequent risk.
Self-administered surveys on various lifestyle factors were administered to 102,255 middle-aged and older Japanese subjects at baseline (1990 for Cohort I and 1993-94 for Cohort II), with a 13-year follow-up. Smoking habits were classified as current, former, and never. Researchers found that those subjects who had a history of having a first-degree relative with lung cancer had a nearly twofold the risk of developing lung cancer. The association was also stronger in women than in men, and never-smokers versus current smokers. In addition, family history of lung cancer was more strongly associated with the risk of other types of cancers. However, a family history of overall cancer was not associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. This study appears in the October issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.