Tobacco Documents Online

• " ,~'Jy THE TOBACCO INSTITUTE, INC. ~ ~/ / 1735 K STREET, NORTHWEST ' ~.. ~ J " WASHINGTON_~, D. C. 20006 ~ WILLIAM KLOrPF£R,JR. % INFONTION~ ~MO~ND~ SUBJECT: ~O Scientific Papers on Oral Cancer in Smokers Attached are two scientific papers recently publlshed on the subject of oral cancer in smokers. 1. In a paper entitled "Incidence of Oral Carcinoma in Patients with Leukoplakia of the Oral Mucosa," two Swedish physicians examined the widespread assumption that leukoplakia, a tissue condition in the mouth, may be a forerunner of oral cancer. Some oral surgeons consider leukoplakla so menacing that they recommend a minor operation to strip out the changed tissue. Einhorn and Wersaell (Cancer 20/12:2189, Dec. 1967) followed 782 leukoplakic patients for a mean of 12 years, and found that oral. carcinoma developed in this group from 50 to 100 ti:zos more often than in the general population, according to the Swedish cancer registry. They also found, however, that most of this increased prevalance occurred in the ~o~- smokers in the group, despite the fact that leukoplakia is much more common among smokers than it is among non-smokers. They say: "The leu]~oplakia in tobacco users seems not to be of great precancerous significance .... It must be seriously considered whether this prevalence justifies the suffering often inflicted on inveterate smokers through the discovery of leu~oplakia. It is also questionable to what extent this p~evalence might be reduced by prohibition of smoking." 2. In another paper, read by Dr. Daniel Roth and associates of New York University Medical Center before a December 27 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in New York, it was reported that heavy, smokers have an abnormally high content of DNA in their mouths, and

• ~age 2 - January 22, 1948 suggests that "smoking in some manner alters cellular DNA metabolism and creates a potential for carcinogenesis." There were no cancer patients-in the series and no evidence was offered that these changes are in fact precancerous. This paper received some attention in the press, prlmarily because Dr. Roth suggested that his method might be used to test the effectiveness of cigarette filters, and said he had offered to so test the Strickman filter (with no response from Strickman or Columbia). (See clipping also attached.} Attachments cc: Earle C. Clements General Counsel Ad Hoc Committee