HEADLINES

• Retailers "outraged" that they cannot both challenge and draft point of sale regulations
• Smokers face increased risk of stomach and gullet cancer up to 30 years after they quit
• A cancer diagnosis doesn't always mean patients quit smoking
• Blaze caused by 'smoking materials'
• New study explores the link between Asthma, smoking and nicotine dependence

• Retailers "outraged" that they cannot both challenge and draft point of sale regulations

  Independent newsagents have described the government’s decision to exclude them from the tobacco display ban working group as a “cold day for democracy”.

  The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) said it was “outraged” by the Department of Health’s (DOH) decision. The only other group to be excluded from the working group are tobacco manufacturers.

  A spokesman for the DOH said it was happy to receive contributions from the NFRN and to "keep them informed of proceedings".

  "But for legal reasons, the active involvement of NFRN in the ongoing Judicial Review cases challenging the tobacco display legislation means that it would be inappropriate for the NFRN to be involved in the working group drafting guidance on implementing that legislation," he added.

  The interests of small shops will be well represented by the participation of the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) in the preliminary work. The working group will develop the first draft of guidance to help retailers implement the legislation ending tobacco displays in shops in England.

  Source: The Grocer, 30 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/gduxdx

• Smokers face increased risk of stomach and gullet cancer up to 30 years after they quit

  Smoking doubles the chance of cancer of the stomach or oesophagus and the risk remains high even after quitting, according to researchers, who combined the results of dozens of past studies.

  For their study, published in the journal Epidemiology, the team pooled the results of 33 previous studies.

  Senior researcher, Dr Eva Negri, of the Institute of Pharmacological Research in Milan said, "Smoking has long been considered a risk factor for the two cancers. But these latest findings offer a 'better quantification' of the risks".

  Overall, the study found that current smokers had more than double the odds of developing either of the cancers, compared with people who had never smoked.

  While the risk declined after people stopped smoking, it was still 62 per cent higher in former smokers than in lifelong non-smokers. In some studies, the extra risk of oesophagus cancer persisted up to 30 years after people had quit.

  Source: Daily Mail, 30 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/hcaml6

• A cancer diagnosis doesn't always mean patients quit smoking

  Research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that a substantial number of cancer patients continue to smoke of their cancer

  Kathryn E. Weaver, Ph.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, set out to characterize patterns and context of smoking among recently diagnosed cancer patients and their family caregivers.

  Her team found that 18 percent of lung cancer patients continue to smoke after their diagnosis, while 12 percent of colorectal cancer patients continue smoking.

  Weaver said it is concerning, but not necessarily surprising, that such a high number of cancer patients continue to smoke after a diagnosis. "Smoking is a very addictive behaviour and it can be difficult to quit smoking. Many of our cancer patients do want to quit smoking and have tried many times in the past, but have been unsuccessful."

  Source: MediLexicon, 30 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/gTdiTN

• Blaze caused by 'smoking materials'

  Fire fighters revealed that a fire which left a family homeless may have been caused by discarded smoking materials.

  The blaze at a terraced house in South Devon, sparked a major fire operation and has been classed as accidental.

  The fire started in a bedroom where her son is believed to have slept. A chest of drawers is thought to have been the seat of the fire.

  Fire investigation officer Ian Heywood said: "The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. It has been put down to discarded smoking material in the rear bedroom."

  Source: thisissouthdevon, 30 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/exEKPl

• New study explores the link between Asthma, smoking and nicotine dependence

  New research from the University of Cincinnati which is published in the Journal of Health Psychology suggests being diagnosed with asthma is significantly associated with a greater risk for a lifetime history of daily smoking and nicotine dependence.

  The study analyzed data from the National Comorbity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) -- a large epidemiological survey of American adults.

  The researchers found that individuals who were diagnosed with asthmas were 1.26 times more likely to have been a smoker, and twice and likely to have been nicotine dependent at some point in their lifetimes - compared to individuals without asthma.

  "Individuals with asthma were nearly three times as likely as those without asthma to have reported nicotine dependence in the past 12 months after controlling for demographic and drug abuse/dependence variables," the authors state in the article.

  Source: Science Daily, 30 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/dEGjf7