At first glance, it seemed to be the first good medical news in years for women smokers. According to the results of a study of 1,237 women, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, older women who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day have only about half the risk of developing cancer of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) that their nonsmoking peers have. The report, by a team of researchers from several medical centers, on closer examination gives smokers little reason to celebrate.
The protective influence of heavy smoking, which may result from...