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Male smoking related to Lung Cancer

Smoking and cancer is generally associated because it is one of the major causes of lung diseases and eventually developing cancer in the end. Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells don't function correctly, segregates very fast, and generates too much tissue that forms tumor or lumps. Tumors are dangerous because they take oxygen, nutrients, and space from healthy cells. The lungs, (a pair of sponge-like, cone-shaped organs), are part of the body's respiratory system. When we breathe in, the lungs take in oxygen, and get rid of carbon dioxide when we breathe out.

Lung cancer is the type of cancer which originates in the tissues of the lungs. It is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in both women and men in the United States, Canada, and China and many other countries of the world. It kills more women every year than breast cancer, 90% of all lung cancer deaths among women are from smoking. Like any other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. By far the most common source of these insults is tobacco smoke, which is responsible for about 85% of U.S. lung cancer deaths. The incidence of lung cancer in other countries follows their smoking patterns.

Some other deadly known causes of lung cancer are found in the workplaces. These include bischloromethyl ether and chloromethyl ether in chemical workers, arsenic in copper smelting, and asbestos in shipbuilders and other asbestos workers. Radon poses a risk to uranium and fluorspar miners and may pose a risk in some private residences as well. African Americans have a higher incidence of lung cancer than European Americans, even after adjusting for smoking.

Lung cancers are classified into two major types, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), depending on how the cells look under a microscope. Each type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways and is treated differently. Lung cancer most commonly spreads to the brain, bone, liver, or bone marrow.

The primary symptoms of lung cancer are cough, shortness of breath, hoarseness, blood in the sputum, and pain. In some types, the cancer cells themselves produce hormones or other substances that can create an imbalance and result in various symptoms. One fourth of all people with lung cancer have no symptoms when their cancer is diagnosed. These cancers are usually identified incidentally when a chest x-ray is done for another reason.

Various medical studies have shown that cigarette smokers have a greater risk of dying from a variety of diseases than nonsmokers. If a smoker and a nonsmoker are victims of the same disease, the disease is more likely to be critical to the smoker. The risk of lung cancer increases 12 times and other cancers are also more customary among smokers - mouth cancer (6 times the risk), throat cancer (10 times the risk), as well as increased bladder, pancreas, and kidney cancers.

When one smokes, the nicotine raises the heart rate, increases blood pressure, and constricts blood vessels. The nicotine also has been shown in studies to irritate the inner lining of arteries making them much more susceptible to plaque build up. The carbon monoxide from the smoke inhaled decreases the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the heart.

Fighting tobacco smoking should be our primary goal. We already know that the best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit (or never start) smoking. Quitting smoking is extremely difficult because you are
addicted to nicotine and the habit of smoking-the routine itself.

There are a number of options to choose from in your selection of a nicotine replacement product, whether it is a nicotine patch or gum, you still need to have a strong mental focus - striving to achieve your goal of quitting. The sooner a person quits smoking the better. The risk of lung cancer in ex-smokers begins to decline about five years after quitting, and after 15 to 20 years their risk is 80% less than that of smokers. Even if you have been smoking for many years, it's never too late to benefit from quitting.