How Smoking Affects Cancer

Cancer is a disease that stems from toxic cells growing at an out-of-control rate that can quickly affect other organs and tissues of the body. Cancer cells can spread through blood cells and lymph systems which compromises the body's ability to get rid of toxins. There are many factors that can contribute to your risk of getting cancer and how aggressive it could be. One of the biggest factors is smoking. Smoking is very damaging to the body in numerous ways. A few experts in breast cancer treatment South Jersey discussed how smoking affects the body handling cancer.

Smoking doesn’t just cause cancer but can prevent your body from fighting it efficiently. The chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage your body’s immune response which makes your body have a hard time fighting and identifying cancer cells. This can allow cancer cells to replicate quicker in comparison to a cancer patient that is a non-smoker. Cigarette smoke can mutate your cell’s DNA as well, which can be a catalyst for cancer becoming active in the human body. Everyone has cancer cells, but they are dormant unless genetics or other triggers bring them out. Smoking is one of the biggest triggers medical professionals know of.

The easiest way to prevent smoking-related cancers from occuring is to not smoke cigarettes or look into alternatives to begin your effort to quit. Secondhand smoke is a major concern as well. If you don’t smoke but your partner or family member does, encourage them to quit for your safety and their own safety. There are many alternatives that can help with quitting such as nicotine patches and gum. The cessation of smoking can lower the risk for more than twelve different types of cancers.

There is a common argument that a lifelong smoker is too far gone to see any benefits from quitting. This is simply untrue. Even if you have been smoking for decades, there are still benefits to quitting. Your lungs will be able to repair themselves and your body will still be given a chance to recover from the years of smoking. It is never too late to quit. The common rule of thumb is that it takes about twenty years of no smoking for your body to make a full recovery and go back to the level of a non-smoker.

If you choose to continue smoking, be mindful of others and the risks. Smoking causes different forms of cancer such as lung and throat cancer. If you are smoking, it is important to get screened in these areas to ensure that cancer isn’t developing. As previously mentioned, secondhand smoke is a very big concern. If you have a loved one that doesn’t smoke, be respectful of this and smoke outdoors where the smoke can be released away from them.

I hope this helps!

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