Histologic changes in pancreas in relation to smoking and coffee-drinking habits.

Histologic alterations in the epithelium of the ducts and exocrine portions of the parenchyma and thickening of the walls of the arterioles and arteries in the pancreas in relation to smoking habits was studied in 22,344 slides from 560 autopsied subjects. Only 5.4% of the nonsmokers had medium to high percentages of ductal cells with atypical nuclei. This rose to 50.7% in light smokers and to 74.9% in 40+ a day smokers. Advanced findings (increased numbers) of cells with atypical nuclei were found in the acinar cells of the parenchyma in only 1.8% of nonsmokers; 11.4% in less than 20 cigarettes a day smokers; 29.2% in 20-39 a day smokers; and 69.1% in 40+ a day smokers. Moderate or advanced hyaline thickening of arterioles in 12.8% of the nonsmokers increased to 74.4% in the heaviest smoking group. A similar relationship was observed for fibrous thickening in the arteries. Coffee drinking was not related to histologic alterations in the cells within the pancreas.

Histologic findings in the tracheobronchial tree of uranium miners and non-miners with lung cancer.

The remaining tissue of the tracheobronchial tree from 210 men who died from lung cancer was studied to compare the histologic alterations leading to further sites of primary cancer. These men were uranium miners matched with nonminers for age and smoking habits. In the examination of a total of 28,928 cross-sections carcinoma in situ was found in 96% of the miners and in 92% of the nonminers. The number of slides from miners showing degree 2 or 3 atypia in areas of carcinoma in situ was about double the number found from the nonminers. Although the difference was not statistically significant, 32% of the miners had at least one section showing early primary invasive carcinoma compared with 22% of the nonminers. The data indicate that the synergistic effect of the exposure to uranium dust along with cigarette smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and that in addition to a main tumor mass, other sites of tissue alterations leading to tumor development are frequently already present in the lung.