How does tobacco smoke cause cancer?
Tobacco smoke contains over 70 different substances that are thought to cause cancer. These chemicals enter your lungs when you inhale and then spread around the rest of your body. These were proven to damage your DNA and mutate important genes. This causes cancer by making your cells grow and multiply out of control.[1]
What cancer does it cause?
It causes many different types of cancer. The most common one is Lung cancer but it
also causers cancer in the Oesophagus, Mouth and Upper throat, Stomach, Liver, Nose
and Sinus, Larynx, Pancreas, Kidney, Bowel, Ovary, Bladder, Leukemia and Cervix. [2]
How many people die of this:
Smoking in the UK causes 64500 cancers each year. [3]
In the United States, tobacco smoke is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths, so
around 480000 early deaths each year. [4] The same source also says that 30% of all cancer deaths are tobacco users; 87% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 70% of lung cancer deaths in women are caused by tobacco.
Evidence for cancer caused by tobacco smoke:
Lung cancer occur most often in people who smoke, especially the once who started from a younger age and the once who smoke more then one cigarette a day. [5]
There is also evidence that cancer can be caused if you are exposed to tobacco smoke as a secondhand smoker, also known as passive smokers. For example there was a study called Garfinkel in the USA between 1960 and 1972, were 176 739 married non-smoking women were examined. The scientists looked at their relatives, environment and their own health. All of these women were exposed through tobacco smoke due to their current spouse. The results found that 134 of these women died of lung cancer and there was a risk to their crude and adjusted relatives. [6] More experiments like this were done with different sample of people, e.g. nurses with unknown sub cohort of non-smokers and the results showed that even if you are a passive hand smoker you are exposed to tobacco smoke and are therefore at risk of cancer. [7] The 2004 Surgeon Gneral’s report shows that the evidence is sufficient to suggest that there is a relationship between smoking and cancers to the organs listed above. [8]
[1]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[2]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[3]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[4] Cancer Facts & Figures 2014; and US Surgeon General Report 2014
[5]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[6]IARC Monograms- Garfinkel (1981) (USA, 1960-1972)
[7]IARC Monograms
[8]2004 Surgeon General’s report, The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS] 2004
Tobacco smoke contains over 70 different substances that are thought to cause cancer. These chemicals enter your lungs when you inhale and then spread around the rest of your body. These were proven to damage your DNA and mutate important genes. This causes cancer by making your cells grow and multiply out of control.[1]
What cancer does it cause?
It causes many different types of cancer. The most common one is Lung cancer but it
also causers cancer in the Oesophagus, Mouth and Upper throat, Stomach, Liver, Nose
and Sinus, Larynx, Pancreas, Kidney, Bowel, Ovary, Bladder, Leukemia and Cervix. [2]
How many people die of this:
Smoking in the UK causes 64500 cancers each year. [3]
In the United States, tobacco smoke is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths, so
around 480000 early deaths each year. [4] The same source also says that 30% of all cancer deaths are tobacco users; 87% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 70% of lung cancer deaths in women are caused by tobacco.
Evidence for cancer caused by tobacco smoke:
Lung cancer occur most often in people who smoke, especially the once who started from a younger age and the once who smoke more then one cigarette a day. [5]
There is also evidence that cancer can be caused if you are exposed to tobacco smoke as a secondhand smoker, also known as passive smokers. For example there was a study called Garfinkel in the USA between 1960 and 1972, were 176 739 married non-smoking women were examined. The scientists looked at their relatives, environment and their own health. All of these women were exposed through tobacco smoke due to their current spouse. The results found that 134 of these women died of lung cancer and there was a risk to their crude and adjusted relatives. [6] More experiments like this were done with different sample of people, e.g. nurses with unknown sub cohort of non-smokers and the results showed that even if you are a passive hand smoker you are exposed to tobacco smoke and are therefore at risk of cancer. [7] The 2004 Surgeon Gneral’s report shows that the evidence is sufficient to suggest that there is a relationship between smoking and cancers to the organs listed above. [8]
[1]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[2]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[3]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[4] Cancer Facts & Figures 2014; and US Surgeon General Report 2014
[5]Website about cancer research in the UK
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-and-cancer)
[6]IARC Monograms- Garfinkel (1981) (USA, 1960-1972)
[7]IARC Monograms
[8]2004 Surgeon General’s report, The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS] 2004