Did you know that smoking and tobacco consumption was linked with over 40% of all cancers in the United States?
Lungs, Kidney, Liver, Larynx, Cervix, Colon, Oesophagus, Throat, Bladder, Leukaemia, and six other forms of cancers are directly and indirectly related to smoking!
In the last few years, there has been growing awareness about the linkages between smoking tobacco and cancer. Scientists, medical experts, international organizations as well as governments have all helped popularize the literature and research on this topic.
In this article, we are going to look at some of the major forms of cancer that are directly related to smoking. However, before we get to the list, we would like to explain how tobacco consumption and smoking work to invite the onset of cancer in individuals.
How does Smoking cause Cancer: What Medical Experts Say?
In this section, we are going to look at two major ways how smoking causes cancer and leads to related problems. There are more than 7,000 different chemicals found in tobacco and it’s estimated that approximately 70 of these chemicals are linked to causing cancer.
- Weakens the Body’s Immunity System-
Smoking weakens healthy cells of the body and reduces their strength. It limits the chances of the cells naturally fighting any foreign infestation. This can be not only cancers but even other illnesses. Secondly, a weakened immunity also limits the results from treatments that inhibit recovery. The cells are so weak that when any medication or chemo is applied to them, they cannot absorb the same and start regenerating.
2. Alters the DNA of the Cells-
Let us try to explain this point in the simplest fashion possible. DNA is the blueprint that is given to the cells and directs them on how to react in case of certain events. The DNA allows a cell to grow and perform healthily. Smoking causes this DNA to get changed. It directs the cell to become a danger to other cells, and this leads to the formation of cancerous cells. Cancerous cells start attacking healthy cells and spread aggressively.
List of 5 Different Types of Cancers associated with Smoking and Tobacco Use
- Lung Cancer-
According to data, nine out of ten lung cancer deaths in the United States are attributed to smoking. The risks from smoking are not only limited to the smoker himself/herself but also to people around them that are subject to secondhand smoke. Smoking erodes the respiratory cells in the lungs, inhibits the absorption of oxygen, and leads to life-threatening situations.
2. Mouth, Larynx, and Throat Cancer-
When you smoke, the harmful chemicals of tobacco pass through your entire mouth and nasal cavity. Everything from your larynx to the esophagus is exposed to more than 7000 different harmful chemicals. Studies have established that smoking or chewing tobacco weakens the immunity of these body parts and leads to the onset of life-threatening cancerous cells.
3. Stomach Cancer-
There have been several studies that have established that the chances of individuals contracting stomach cancer increase by double in smokers. This affects the upper part of the stomach, especially near the esophagus. If you are someone that has had some form of surgery done to your stomach in the past, you stand a greater risk of stomach cancers.
4. Liver Cancer-
Liver cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer that has increased chances of happening in individuals that consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes. If you are a chain smoker that already has been diagnosed with Hepatitis B or C. a leading study conducted in the United Kingdom found that 20 out of 100 individuals diagnosed with liver cancer were smokers.
5. Bladder Cancer-
There is no denying the fact that smoking is by far the greatest risk for bladder cancer. In a study, it was found that individuals that smoked regularly were at three times the risk of contracting bladder cancer than non-smokers. Bladder cancer affects both men and women that are smokers. The chemicals in tobacco have been found to stay in the bladder for a long time.
The Bottom Line
If you are someone that smokes regularly or stays around a smoker, it is high time that you should quit smoking. Decreasing the number of cigarettes per day is not a solution to countering the risks of cancer. If you want to stay completely safe, you need to stop smoking altogether. If you would like us to discuss any more points on smoking or the dangers it presents to the risks of cancer, please let us know in the comments below.
