More Asian-Americans die from smoking than previously believed, and research shows that cancer rates would be cut dramatically among Asians if smoking were eliminated.

Researchers from the University of California at Davis Cancer Center found that Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese American men have three times the cancer death rate of South Asian women -- a disparity almost entirely attributable to smoking. The cancer death rate among Asian women is among the world's lowest, and researchers suggest that Asian men would enjoy similar health if they didn't smoke.

"Among Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, non-lung-cancer death rates, like lung-cancer death rates, correlate very closely with their smoke exposures," said researcher Bruce N. Leistikow. "If all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans had as little smoke exposure as South Asian females in California, our work suggests that their cancer mortality rates across the board could be as low as that of the South Asian females."

The annual cancer mortality among South Asian women living in California is 58 per 100,000 population, compared to a national average of 193.5 per 100,000. Meanwhile, lung-cancer rates doubled among South Asian men between 1998 and 2001.

"In light of these findings, we believe tobacco control for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, and probably other Americans, deserves more effort, funding, and study," Leistikow said.

The research appears on the website of the journal Preventive Medicine.