How does smoking increase the risk of cancer?
487932
wow, people who have no clue try to sound like medical experts.  I'm no medical expert, but I can lead you to a better answer.\n\nTelomere immortalization is one known element of cancer, so I'll use that to explain why smoking is a leading cause of cancer, but just know there are several other things that happen besides this.\n\nBasically cancers are cells that grow, bond, and refuse to die.  We're talking about cells that try to become immortal, and you can understand why.  The carbons and chemicals in your lungs actively block oxygen, which your lungs were designed to need.  Every time your body replaces dead cells (which it does constantly), it checks the environment they're in to see if they need to make adjustments.  Oxygen is essential to cell survival, so if you're choking them to death, they'll get desperate.  Some will just die.  Some will go on gasping for air.  But some will rebel from the body, which is killing them, and find their own mission.  And a tumor is born.  These are like lawless vigilantes who don't give a damn about being part of the body anymore.
170448
p53 is one of the most important tumor suppressor genes. There is never one specific thing that CAUSES cancer, it is really chain reactions through different pathways in the cell that lead to it becomeing cancerous, or dying. Go to cell signal.com to get an idea of how much is actually involved in cancer development. Keep in mind that cancer is just a cell with a mutation that cannot kill itself and keeps growing, and sometimes travels throughout the body and continues to grow in other places. (I am just starting out in cancer research, please dont think one cigarette will cause generations of hideous and deathly tumors in all of your offspring.)
1187645
You can prevent cancer in many ways, since the disease is originated in a tendency to have it. You can prevent or at least slow down probabilities of having it. Eating healthy food is a quite good way to do it.
714462
Studies have shown that smokers may be prone to cancer and other respiratory ailments. As for heavy alcohol, I'm not sure. But if you mean to consume alcohol heavily, then you are making yourself more likely to develop other health issues.
918524
These are typically chemicals which do not occur naturally which increase a body's chances of developing cancer. These chemicals in some cases interfere chemically with your body's DNA and allow certain errors in transcription (which cause cancer) to occur.\n\nFiberglass for instance is a man made mineral which is considered to be a carcinogen.
480116
Some of the Harmful effects smoking can cause are:\n\n1.straining on your heart and blood vessels.\n\nThe mixture of nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels.\n\n2. heart attacks and stroke.\n\n It slows your blood flow, cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers even end up having their limbs \namputated because of this.\n\n3. causes cancer.\n\nTar coats your lungs like soot in a chimney.A 20-a-day smoker breathes in up to a full cup (210 g) of tar in a year.\n\n4. Emphysema.\n\nEmphysema is an illness that slowly rots your lungs away. Most People with emphysema often get bronchitis again and again, and suffer lung and heart failure.\n\n5. Lung cancer.\n\nLung cancer is caused by the tar in the tobacco smoke. Men who smoke are ten times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers.\n\n6. block blood vessels.\n\nSmoking causes fat deposits to narrow which is why blood vessels become blocked which leads to heart attack.\n\nI could go on and on but i am sure you want an answer today \n1-6 are the most common effects of smoking. Their are so many, You take a big risk with your health when you start to smoke. I hope i answed your ? to your liking.
443799
No.  Cancer is a genetically-based disease, and can be caused by exposure to chemical toxins, such as those found in cigarette smoke, but it is not communicable (i.e. you can't catch cancer from a person who has cancer in the way you can catch a cold from a person who has a cold).\n\nSome cancers ARE linked to viruses that can be spread, notably HPV, which is linked to cervical cancer.  But the relative risk of getting cancer this way is very low...much, much lower than the risk of getting cancer due to family genetics.
829293
It depends on the person and there is no ratio for this. My dad smoked all his life and died at the age of 84 but not from lung cancer. My mom died of lung cancer when she was 65 and she smoked all her life as well. You'll never know. However, smoking causes other types of cancer such as pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, cancer of the throat, the mouth and esophagus. Smoking causes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Decease including emphysema, which is not reversible. Smoking causes strokes as well. See it is not all about the lungs it is much more involved. Set a quitting date and do it, it is never to late.
1153135
There was a very recent study that showed that marijuana use did not cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking did.\n\nThere are also studies showing that it reduces the pain of glaucoma and cancer, and because it increases appetite, it helps when cancer patients are going through chemo.
291890
A smoker has increased risk of respiratory and vascular complications. Smoking actually creates a tar substance in the lungs and decreases the persons capacity to take in oxygen. Also smokers veins and arteries are constricted from chemicals in the cigarettes. This puts them at a higher risk for blood clot causing stroke.
302952
This is an interesting question, and on the face of it, I would have to guess that it would indeed increase the chance of getting both mouth cancer (because of the increased residence time of various carcinogens in the mouth) and, I would imagine, stomach and eosophogial cancers, since you would be swallowing more carcinogens in your saliva than a smoker who is not chewing gum.\n\nGood luck with that!
52095
there are definately addictions from nicotine, which means you crave it and you'll have withdrawls if you stop. bigger concerns are second hand smoke which is more harmful to the people around you than just smoking is to you. there are carcinogens in ciggarettes, which are substances that cause cancer. how much do you really care about the people around you? smoking is also a behavioral thing for some people. especially night time smokers might be in the habit of smoking as a behavioral thing more than anything else. when my dad stopped smoking 11 years ago, he had to replace that action of smoking with something else, and he chose sugar free hard candy. it really helped him through it.
884410
1) more likely to have a miscarriage. \n\n2) the baby is more likely to die before birth. \n\n3) Smoking can cause placenta previa (Dangerous situation where the placenta covers the cervix.) \n\n4)It can cause a placental abruption (Where the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus denying all oxygen to your baby.) \n\n5)It increases the risk of a preterm birth.
790767
Think about it....second hand smoke has been linked to lung cancer. You are inhaling direct nicotine and smoke. Now what do you think? \n\nYes, it can and does cause lung cancer regardless of how little amount you smoke. You are also at a potential risk for bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, asthma and more. You'll do yourself good if you quit.
1004984
Cigarettes, so called because the tobacco and other chemicals in them are very bad for you and people who smoke have such a higher rate of developing lung cancer, and other cancers.
282323
A meta-analysis on this issue was reported in the May 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).  They found 'some evidence' for increased risks of certain types of cancer and recommended additional research.\n\nHope this is helpful for you.
536805
Hmm you could start by looking to see if there is a relationship between vitamin use and cancer. Or even the tried and true cancer and smoking. IT really depends on what kind of data you have access to or if you are going to collect your own.