Cigarette Smoking or Tobacco Chewing and Cancer

Does Cigarette Smoking Cause Cancer?

One might think that there’s been a new secret study that reports on how cigarettes don’t cause cancer. You see more people than ever smoking. At hospitals you see plenty of doctors and nurses smoking outside on their breaks, so the dangers of smoking and the correlation with cancer may well be unproven.

The truth is that it hasn’t been unproven. In fact, all of the major cancer organizations in the world not only list smoking as a large danger but explicitly cover the topic – usually with pages and pages of information specific to tobacco and cancer.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a good example of the coverage smoking is getting. They have a home page for Smoking and Cancer with literally hundreds of links that all point to the same basic information: Smoking does cause cancer.

Does Chewing Tobacco Cause Cancer?

If you’ve ever hung out with smokers, then you've likely seen the following scenario: In the face of the whole cigarette smoking or tobacco chewing and cancer debate, sometimes cigarette smokers will decide to switch to chewing tobacco in order to quit smoking. Usually, individuals who do this have the intention of quitting chewing later on down the road. The theory often heard in this situation is that chewing tobacco is safer and less addictive than actual cigarette smoking. How does that stack up? Is there any evidence to support this theory?

According to NCI, chewing tobacco can be just as deadly as a basic cigarette. Chewing tobacco contains a whopping 28 carcinogens (cancer causing agents) and furthermore, it’s actually been declared by the Surgeon General that chewing tobacco is not a safe substitute for real cigarettes. Many of the risks are the same as smoking tobacco and there are some nasty extras included for smokeless tobacco users such as an increased likelihood of having an oral cancer at some point in their life.

Deadly Statistics about Cigarette Smoking or Tobacco Chewing and Cancer

It’s crystal clear that smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco are both deadly. However, cars can be deadly; violence in the workplace can be deadly; obesity can most certainly be deadly not to mention all the other hundreds of dangers one might run into. So in a world full of dangerous and health-compromising issues, just how deadly can the effects of smoking little old cigarettes and chewing tobacco be?

When it comes to tobacco and cancer – ‘seriously deadly’ is an understatement.

Cancer is not an all-inclusive term. There are over 100 specific cancers, and within those types there are various categories as well. For instance, a Carcinoma cancer begins in the skin or tissues of organs while a Lymphoma cancer will start in immune system cells. Cancer in the simplest of terms is a problem with cells. Everyone needs healthy and regenerating cells to live properly but if cells are exposed to something that alters their genetic make-up, they may not behave normally and then cancer can occur. That’s a super basic definition of cancer though – for much more in-depth information about cancer development visit The Institute of Cancer Research.

Cigarettes or chewing tobacco are outside influences that can damage your cells and cause various cancers. Current cigarette and chewing tobacco statistics related to cancer and death from NCI include:

• 87 percent of all lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking cigarettes.
• Tobacco the lead ingredient in both cigarettes and chew is the cause of around 440,000 yearly deaths and those deaths are sadly preventable.
• Together cigarettes and chewing tobacco are responsible for more cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder than any other agents.
• Smoking and chewing can also cause cancers such as kidney, pancreatic, cervical, and stomach, acute myeloid leukemia, and numerous oral cancers such as lip, tongue, cheeks, gums, and the floor and roof of the mouth.
• Tobacco not only increases the risk of developing tobacco related cancers but also harms the immune system in such a way that the risk for all kinds of non-cancer related diseases goes up.

The Good News about Tobacco

The best news about cigarette smoking or tobacco chewing and cancer is that once someone does quit smoking or chewing, the risks for developing cancer as well as other diseases fall almost immediately and keep falling drastically quick from that moment on. Quitting by age 30 reduces the risk by 90 percent – almost as if someone never smoked - and quitting by the age of 50 has gigantic benefits, with health risks dropping a full 50 percent.

For more information and help with calling it quits check out the best way to quit smoking, Smokefree.gov or Quit Smokeless. You don’t have to go it alone; there are some great medical treatments that can help like the Nicoderm CQ Patch. Read Chantix reviews to learn about this helpful treatment.