SUMMARY OF PAPERS AND RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENTED AT THE INTERNATIONAL-SYMPOSIUM ON LIFE-STYLE FACTORS AND HUMAN LUNG-CANCER, GUANGZHOU, CHINA

This paper summarizes the themes and recommendations that emerged from the papers presented at the ''International Symposium on Lifestyle Fa ctors and Human Lung Cancer''. In terms of our current knowledge, the following are considered important: (1) recognition and confirmation o f lung cancer as a multifactorial disease; (2) the strong association known to exist between cigarette smoking and lung cancer does not expl ain the observation that the lung cancer death rate is lower than the smoking rate in certain groups of individuals, e.g. Chinese farmers; ( 3) the high incidence of adenocarcinoma in non-smoking women, e.g. Chi nese housewives, suggests that factors other than cigarette smoking ar e involved for the development of lung cancer; (4) indoor air pollutio n is a significant risk factor for lung cancer in China; (5) there is incomplete information on the chemical nature and exposure assessment of indoor air pollutants; and (6) the need to better define the role o f diet and nutrients as confounding factors for lung cancer. Based on the above, several recommendations were offered for continuing researc h to further our understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of lun g cancer.