Smoking And Cancer: What Is The Real Impact?

Cancer is a disease that is identified by the unfettered growth and mushrooming of abnormal cells. It's caused by changes to certain genes that control how cells function, divide, and grow.

The prevalence of cancer has been increasing steadily over the past few decades. In fact, the number is expected to rise to 15.7 lakhs in 2025.¹ It was 14.6 lakhs in 2022. This sharp rise in cancer cases over the next few years calls for greater efforts to ensure timely and effective diagnosis and treatment for all those affected.

Cancer can be caused by a variety of factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, air pollution, etc. Among these, tobacco use is a deadly risk factor.

What is the link between smoking and cancer? How does smoking lead to cancer? Let's find out.

What Is the Relationship Between Smoking and Cancer? –

‘Smoking causes cancer’ - is a message that has been continuously drilled into your minds throughout your lives. However, many people still choose to ignore this statement and light up, the consequences of which can be deadly. Smoking is a well-known factor behind multiple types of cancer. There are approximately 7,000 types of chemicals found in tobacco smoke, including 70 that are known to cause cancer. When you smoke, these chemicals enter your body and damage the cell DNA, including parts of DNA that protect you from cancer. The DNA is responsible for determining how your cells grow and behave. When it gets damaged, cells behave in ways they aren't supposed to. The chemicals in tobacco also make it harder for your cells to repair DNA damage. Over time, this damage can build up in the same cell, causing cancer.

Smoking is known to cause at least 15 different types of cancer.³ Even a single cigarette can increase the risk of developing cancer over time due to the long-term accumulation of damaging chemicals. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. It accounts for 1.76 million deaths around the world per year.⁴ Further, smoking is estimated to be responsible for 90% of lung cancers.⁵ This information displays that most lung cancer cases are directly caused by smoking.

Besides lung cancer, smoking can increase your risk of mouth, throat, oesophagus, pancreas, kidney, bladder, cervix, and stomach cancer as well. The risk of developing cancer increases with the duration and intensity of smoking. Prolonged exposure to tobacco smoke significantly increases the chances of developing cancer in the future. The longer and more intense the exposure to these carcinogens, the greater the risk of cancer development. This highlights the need for preventative measures to reduce smoking, to significantly reduce the number of cancer deaths worldwide.

Did you know you can develop cancer even if you don't smoke? Yes, cancer can also be caused by second-hand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke. It is the smoke you inhale when you are near someone who smokes cigars, cigarettes, pipes, etc. If non-smokers are exposed to it, they can develop cancer as well. Therefore, second-hand smoke exposure should also be avoided to prevent cancer.

Besides increasing the risk of cancer, smoking also contributes to cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other respiratory problems. It is, therefore, important to abstain from smoking to maintain health and reduce the risk of developing serious illnesses.

Many smokers and non-smokers usually wonder about how many years of smoking causes cancer. Well, the truth is that each cigarette can heighten your probability of contracting a smoking-related illness or cancer.

What Are the Benefits of Quitting Smoking?

Smoking cessation has significant health benefits, including reducing the risk of cancer. Studies show that lung cancer risk decreases with increasing years of quitting. The health benefits of quitting can be substantial, even if you do it later in life. This is because when a person stops smoking, their body can start to repair the damage caused by it.

It has been found that those who quit smoking reduce their risk of developing cancer by 30% to 50% within 10 years of quitting, compared to people who continue to smoke.⁶ This is a great motivation for those who are trying to kick the habit, as it can significantly reduce their risk of developing cancer.

Wrapping up!

Smoking not only causes cancer but also can affect your heart and blood vessels. It leads to plaque in blood vessels, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease. Therefore, it is essential to break the habit of smoking to reduce the risk of developing such life-threatening diseases and protect your loved ones from the dangers of second-hand smoke too. It is never too late to kick the habit and reap the rewards of a healthier lifestyle.

Sources

[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cancer-cases-in-india-projected-to-rise-from-146-lakh-in-2022-to-157-lakh-in-2025-govt/article66618501.ece
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6164459/
[3] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/how-does-smoking-cause-cancer#:~:text=The%20link%20between%20smoking%20and,nose%20and%20sinuses
[4] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482357/
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK65866/