The National Cancer Institute, or NCI, estimates that every year about 443,000 people die because of direct or secondhand smoke. If you think these deaths involve only diseases of the lungs, think again. Although lung cancer is the most common, MedicineWorld.org identifies forms of cancer in nearly every area of your body that are in some way related to smoking.
How Cancer Develops
You can find most of the estimated 60 cancer-causing chemicals in the tar content of tobacco smoke. When you inhale cigarette smoke,about 70 percent of this tar stays in your lungs, according to HelpWithSmoking.com. Over time, these carcinogens, especially benzopyrene, cause gene mutations that reduce your body's ability to prevent the development of cancerous cells and tumors. Cancer develops in other areas of your body because of carcinogens that absorb into and travel through your bloodstream. When body organs absorb these cancer-causing chemicals, gene mutations start to occur.
Types
In addition to lung cancer, the NCI says you can also develop cancer of the throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder and cervix, as well as acute myeloid leukemia, due to smoking. MedicineWorld.org also includes colon and breast cancer as types of smoking-related cancers.
Statistics
Statistics and scientific evidence back up claims that smoking can lead to many types of cancer. For example, according to MedicineWorld.org, smokers are 27 times more likely to develop cancer of the mouth, 12 times more likely to develop cancer of the larynx, 1.6 times more likely to develop cervical cancer and twice as likely to develop colon cancer as nonsmokers.
Scientific Evidence
Examples of evidence include a report published in March 2006 in the "International Journal of Cancer" that states that smoking significantly increases the risk of developing squamous, or surface cell, carcinoma of the cervix. Your level of risk increases in direct proportion to the number of cigarettes you smoke each day as well as how old you are when you begin smoking.
A more general report published in August 2004 in the "Lung Cancer Journal" states there is sufficient evidence to link smoking to increased instances of 17 types of cancer. These include cancer of the nasal cavities and paranasal sinuses, nasopharynx, stomach, liver, kidney, cervix, esophagus and myeloid leukemia. In addition, the report states cancer of the lung, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, urinary bladder and renal pelvis can also directly relate to cigarette smoke.
Considerations
Tobacco smoke is not the only way you can develop cancer. Smokeless tobacco that you place between your lip and gum is just as lethal. The National Cancer Institute links smokeless tobacco with cancer of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas. In addition, the NCI cites increased instances of heart disease, gum disease and a condition called leukoplakia, or precancerous white patches in your mouth, as relating to smokeless tobacco.
References
- National Cancer Institute: Smoking
- Medicine World: Smoking-Related Cancers
- Help With Smoking: General Information and Statistics Related to Smoking and Cancer
- National Cancer Institute: Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer
- "International Journal of Cancer"; Carcinoma of the Cervix and Tobacco Smoking: Collaborative Reanlysis of Individual Data on 13,541 Women with Carcinoma of the Cervix and 23,017 Women without Carcinoma of the Cervix from 23 Epidemiological Studies; Wiley-Liss, Inc; 2006
- "Lung Cancer Journal"; Tobacco Smoking and Cancer: A Brief Review of Recent Epidemiological Evidence; Volume 45, Supplement 2, Pages S3-S9; 2004
