Social inequalities, tobacco chewing, and cancer mortality in south India: a case-control analysis of 2,580 cancer deaths among non-smoking non-drinkers.

摘要

This study supports a substantial body of evidence that tobacco chewing can cause mouth cancer, and adds to evidence that chewing may increase the risk of cancer at other sites. The analysis suggests a possible link with cervical cancer, but this could have been because of residual confounding by social factors. Avoidance of tobacco chewing would avert many cancer deaths in south India, especially for people who have received relatively little formal education.