Study Ties Shorter Time to First Cigarette to Increased Risk of Lung Cancer

According to researchers at the National Cancer Institute,  shorter the duration to first cigarette in a day greater is the risk of suffering lung cancer.  The risk is equal in both light as well as heavy smokers.

To proceed with the finding the researchers evaluated the questionnaire data retrieved from the Environment and Genetics in Lung Cancer Etiology (EAGLE) study of current as well as former smokers in Italy. They also analyzed the data from Prostrate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer screening trial in the U.S..

The study participants had to report their smoking history as well habits. They had to answer the question on "How soon after you wake up do you usually smoke your first cigarette of the day?"

The responses provided by the participants were further categorized as 5 minutes or fewer, 6-20 minutes, 31-60 minutes and more than 60 minutes.

Out of 3249 subjects who were smokers from the EAGLE study nearly 1812 were lung cancer patients and 1437 were controls. The researchers noticed that in participants with TTFC or time to first cigarette of more than 1 hour the risk of lung cancer was much higher when compared to those with shorter duration of TTFC.

This link between TTFC and lung cancer was significantly stronger in current vs former smokers and light vs heavier smokers.  The researchers found no difference in men and women.

The researchers conclude that, "although their results support the association of TTFC with lung cancer risk, prospective and screening studies are needed. Assessing TTFC may improve lung cancer risk prediction and could be useful in lung cancer screening and smoking cessation programs."

The finding was documented in the Journal of National Cancer Institute.