Carcinoma of bronchus and the smoking habit in Rhodesian Africans.

Comparison of the smoking habits of 32 adult male Africans with carcinoma of the bronchus and 32 controls showed that 87.5% of the patients with lung cancer were cigarette smokers compared with only 22% of the controls. The distribution of histological types of growth confirmed findings by other workers.The absence of atmospheric pollution in Rhodesia makes it likely that cigarette-smoking is the most important causative factor in the aetiology of lung cancer among Rhodesian Africans. Further work is needed to determine the level of consumption of cigarettes and type of smoking habits which lead to a serious risk of cancer.