Smoking Increases The Risk Of Second Smoking Cancer Related Development

Cigarette smoking can increase the risk of certain respiratory issues, as well as lung, bladder, kidney and neck cancers. Yet now, recent findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology have found that smoking can also increase the risk of second smoking associated cancer. The findings are based on an analysis of five large, prospective cohort studies, including the following:

• National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study
• Agricultural Health Study
• Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study
• Iowa Women's Health Study
• Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial

"As survival improves for a number of smoking-related cancers, patients are living longer; however, smoking may increase the risk of developing a second smoking-related cancer among these survivors," said lead study author Meredith S. Shiels, PhD, MHs, a research fellow with the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, in a news release. "Our study demonstrates that health care providers should emphasize the importance of smoking cessation to all their patients, including cancer survivors."

Researchers found that lung, bladder, kidney and head and neck cancer survivors who smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day prior to their diagnoses had a five-fold increased risk of developing second smoking-associated cancer when compared to survivors of the same cancer who never actually smoked.

Researchers concluded that in the future, they will research the direct association between smoking and a first cancer diagnosis and second cancer risk.