This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fernberg, P. Articles by Adami, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fernberg, P. Articles by Adami, J.

Tobacco Use, Body Mass Index, and the Risk of Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Sweden

Departments of ¹ Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and ² Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; ³ Department of Statistics, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; ⁴ IARC, Lyon, France; and ⁵ Cancer Institute Research Center, Teheran University of Medical Sciences, Teheran, Iran

Requests for reprints: Pia Fernberg, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Box 281, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Phone: 46-70-745-45-30; Fax: 46-8-31-49-75; E-mail: pia.fernberg{at}ki.se.

In a prospective cohort study of more than 330,000 Swedish construction workers, we explored the effect of tobacco smoking, oral moist snuff use, and body mass index (BMI) on the risk of developing leukemia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and multiple myeloma (MM). Study subjects were participants of a health surveillance system within the building industry. Record linkage to the nationwide Swedish cancer registry, migration registry, and cause of death registry made a comprehensive follow-up available. A total of 372 incident cases of leukemia and 520 subjects with MM was ascertained. An increase in risk of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) was observed in current smokers (incidence rate ratio, 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–2.11). Furthermore, there was an indication of a possible association between smoking intensity and risk of acute lymphocytic leukemia. Results on snuff use as well as BMI showed no association. This study confirms the role of smoking as a risk factor for AML and gives no support to the hypothesis of a role of snuff use or BMI level on the risk of leukemia or MM. [Cancer Res 2007;67(12):5983–6]