TOBACCO SMOKING AND RISK OF HEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES IN ADULTS - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

A retrospective study was conducted in 1216 cases to investigate the p ossible association between tobacco smoking and the risk of haematolog ical malignancies. A. small, but not significant, increase in malignan cy was observed in smokers. Significant association was demonstrated b etween tobacco smoking and acute non-lymphoblastic leukaemia, and myel odysplastic syndromes. The duration and amount smoked increased the ri sk; heavy smokers presented significant positive associations with ove rall malignancies, acute nonlymphoblastic leukaemia, myelodysplastic s yndromes, and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, wher eas light smokers did not present any significant association. These d ata support a causal relationship between certain haematological malig nancies and tobacco smoking. Further research is needed to examine the risk according to dose-response effect, and the variation in risk acc ording to the histological subtype of the malignancy.