Environmental tobacco smoke and risk of respiratory cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in former smokers and never smokers in the EPIC prospective study

Sirs,

In my opinion, once again, in this large piece of research (1) there is a common
fundamental bias, now-a-days present unfortunately in all clinical
researches. In fact, the authors investigated the association between
environmental tobacco smoke, plasma cotinine concentration, and
respiratory cancer or death, without considering that enrolled
individuals, 303 020 people from the EPIC cohort who had never smoked or
who had stopped smoking for at least 10 years, 123 479 of whom provided
information on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, are not “all”
positive for Oncological Terrain, with “real risk” for lung cancer (2, 3).

Actually, apart from the well-known negative influences of tobacco on
health, as regards the importance of whatever risk factor (e.g., passive
smoking) we have to consider the genetic predisposition of the single
subject. As a matter of fact, to develop lung cancer people must be
affected both by oncological constitution (Oncological Terrain) “and” real
risk for lung malignancy (2, 4) (See web site HONCode,
www.semeioticabiofisica.it.). As a consequence, the paper’s conclusions, “This
large prospective study, in which the smoking status was supported by
cotinine measurements, confirms that environmental tobacco smoke is a risk
factor for lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, particularly in ex-
smokers”, are certainly defective and misleading, because the authors know
only EBM, but ignore Single Patient Based Medicine (5) (See above-cited
web site, and Network of Competent Authorities Health Europe: website
http://www.epha.org/a/355, “Planning for the EU public Health Portal”
URL:
http://www.google.it/search?q=cache:U5A-
DtWmRDsJ:europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_information/documents

/ev_20030710_co01_en.pdf+single+patient+based+medicine+and+

stagnaro&hl=it&ie=UTF
-8 Pg 36).

1) Vineis P., Airoldi LP., Olgiati L., et al.Environmental tobacco
smoke and risk of respiratory cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease in former smokers and never smokers in the EPIC prospective study.
BMJ 2005;330:277 (5 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.38327.648472.82 (published
28 January 2005)

2) Stagnaro S., Istangiopatia Congenita Acidosica Enzimo-Metabolica
condizione necessaria non sufficiente della oncogenesi. XI Congr. Naz.
Soc. It. di Microangiologia e Microcircolaz. Abstracts, pg 38, 28
Settembre-1 Ottobre, Bellagio

3) Stagnaro Sergio, Stagnaro-Neri Marina. Introduzione alla
Semeiotica Biofisica. Il Terreno oncologico”. Travel Factory SRL., Roma,
2004. http://www.travelfactory.it/semeiotica_biofisica.htm

4) Stagnaro S., Stagnaro-Neri M., Le Costituzioni Semeiotico-
Biofisiche.Strumento clinico fondamentale per la prevenzione primaria e la
definizione della Single Patient Based Medicine. Ediz. Travel Factory,
Roma, 2004.

5) Stagnaro S., Stagnaro-Neri M., Single Patient Based Medicine.La
Medicina Basata sul Singolo Paziente: Nuove Indicazioni della Melatonina.
Travel Factory SRL., Roma, in press.

Competing interests:
None declared