Lifetime Tobacco Use

Excerpt

To the editor: The strong case made against the utility of routine chest radiographs by Tape and Mushlin (1) should prompt many physicians to limit the use of chest radiographs, as recommended. Unfortunately, as rampant tuberculosis subsided and lung cancer rapidly increased (2, 3), continued routine chest radiography was widely believed to be essential for early diagnosis. In remunerative pursuit of the fascinating yet still elusive goal of lung cancer cure, the medical and surgical professions have continued "dancing to tobacco-interest tunes" several decades beyond the time when epidemiologic evidence and common sense should have focused overwhelming action on primary