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Mar. 12, 2002 |
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Cat study links cigarette smoke to feline lymphoma NORTH GRAFTON, MASS. -- July 29, 2002 (Cancer Digest) -- Cats living in homes where people smoke cigarettes are more than twice as likely as other cats to acquire a deadly form of cancer known as feline lymphoma, according to veterinarian scientists. The first-of-its kind study in cats conducted by scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Massachusetts brings into question the long-held theory that the feline cancer is caused by a virus, and may hold implications for second-hand smoke in children. The research team led by Dr. Antony Moore, a veterinary oncologist, concluded that these findings offer a compelling reason for further study of the relationship between passive smoke and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in humans, which is similar to lymphoma in cats. The team published its findings in the Aug. 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. The authors "It has long been believed that the major cause of feline lymphoma was feline leukemia virus," Moore said in a press release. "The results of our study clearly indicate that exposure to environmental factors such as second-hand tobacco smoke has devastating consequences for cats because it significantly increases their likelihood of contracting lymphoma." To evaluate whether exposure to household environmental tobacco smoke may increase the risk of feline lymphoma, the authors conducted a study of cats of smokers and cats of non-smokers in 180 cats who were treated at Tufts Veterinary School's Foster Hospital for Small Animals between 1993 and 2000. Eighty of the cats were treated for lymphoma and 100 were treated for kidney failure. After adjusting for age and other factors, the relative risk of lymphoma for cats exposed to any household environmental tobacco smoke was 2.4 times more likely compared to cats not exposed to tobacco smoke. The risk of cats acquiring cancer increased with both their duration and quantity of tobacco smoke exposure. Cats that were exposed for five or more years had a risk of more than triple (3.2) that of other cats. Risk of lymphoma also appeared to be related to the number of smokers living in the home, with nearly a double relative risk (1.9) for cats living with one smoker, and a four-fold increase in risk (4.1) for cats living with two or more smokers. In addition, cats living in households where humans smoked a pack or more of cigarettes per day had a significant three-fold (3.3) increase in risk compared to cats living in homes where people did not smoke. Several recent studies in humans have suggested that people who smoke tobacco may have an increased risk of contracting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Other studies have suggested that children of parents who smoke may have an increased risk of developing lymphoma. The results of these studies, however, are often hard to prove due to the myriad of other risk factors that people face. "We believe that feline exposure patterns to environmental tobacco smoke may mimic those of young children living in households where adults smoke and where the children inhale tobacco smoke or ingest particulate matter by mouthing contaminated objects," said lead author Dr. Elizabeth R. Bertone, a biostatistician and epidemiologist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. "Our findings offer another reason for smokers living with pets and children to try to 'kick the habit.' Quitting smoking will not only reduce their risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, but may reduce the risk of cancer in their children and pets as well." |
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