In the paper entitled “Relationship between reduced forced expiratory volume in one second and the risk of lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis” by S Wasswa-Kintu et al which appeared on pages 570-575 of the July 2005 issue of Thorax, the correct figure for the worldwide mortality from lung cancer in 2000 (mentioned in the second line of the first paragraph) is 0.85 million, not 328 million as stated in the article.