Dear Dr. Flanagan,
Interesting observation. Although both smoked and chewed tobacco increases the risk of oropharyngeal cancer, smokeless tobacco ("snuff") increases cancers of the cheek, gingiva, and inner surface of the lip by a much higher degree, by about 50 times. It would be interesting to learn if these cancers have declined as precipitously as stomach cancer. I would concur with Robert Proctor that the reduction in stomach cancer is more likely related to better methods of meat curing, refrigeration, and preservation. --- Editor.
Correspondence originally published in the Medical Sentinel 2001;6(1);1-4. Copyright©2001 Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS).