Uterine Cancer Risk Greater for Women than Men?

Tonight (Oct. 5), KBS Newsline did a report on the increasing number of women smokers in Korea. The report said that female smokers faced a higher risk for certain cancers than male smokers. Specifically, the report stated that female smokers faced 2 times the risk for lung cancer and 3 times the risk for breast cancer, uterine cancer, and heart disease.

I was surprised by those numbers because I had expected the risk for breast and uterine cancer to be more than 3 times higher for women than men.

Here is a transcript of the relevant section of the news report:

담배 독성 물질은 남성보다 상대적으로 지방이 많은 여성의 체내에 훨씬도 잘 흡수합니다. 때문에 흡연 여성들의 폐암 발병률은 남성에 비해 2배 이상 높고 유방암, 심장병, 자궁경부암 등에 걸릴 위험도 3배 이상 높습니다.

By the way, there does seem to be more Korean women than men smoking in the stairwells of the college where I teach. This pisses me off because the building is supposed to be a no smoking building. However, the administration does not seem to take it very seriously. Here is a notice I found posted in one of the stairwells:

담배를 피우지 마세요. 혹시 피우면 바닥에 꽁초를 버리지 말고 침을 뱉지 마세요.

Don't smoke, but if you smoke, don't throw your butts on the floor or spit.

Here is the link to the KBS Newsline report. Choose the October 5 program.