Histopathology of lung cancers among smokers and nonsmokers in Florida.

A study was undertaken of the relationship between lung cancer cell type and age, race, sex and smoking characteristics. The study population consisted of 35 183 cases of microscopically confirmed carcinoma of the lung, first diagnosed between 1981 and 1985, among residents of the state of Florida. The data suggested that the histological types of lung cancer observed varied by age, sex and the use of cigarettes. The number of cigarettes smoked per day did not appear to influence the cell types observed. The study indicated that adenocarcinomas occurred more frequently in lung cancer cases diagnosed at earlier ages, among both men and women. Among women who smoked, there was an increased proportion of small cell carcinomas compared to nonsmoking women, while in male smokers, the increase appeared primarily in squamous cell carcinomas.