smoking causes lung cancer

Smoking and lung cancer
In most people, lung cancer is related to cigarette smoking. Although some people who have never smoked get lung cancer, smoking causes 9 out of 10 cases.

Here are some facts about smoking and lung cancer

• The more you smoke, the more likely you are to get lung cancer but it is the length of time you have been a smoker that is most important
• Filtered and low tar cigarettes might not increase your risk quite so much, but most smokers cancel this out by taking more, deeper puffs or smoking more cigarettes
• As soon as you stop smoking, your risk of lung cancer starts to go down
• Passive smoking (breathing in other people's cigarette smoke) increases the risk of lung cancer, but it is still much less than if you smoke yourself

It is almost impossible to work out the risk of occasional smoke exposure to second hand smoke for non smokers (passive smoking). We know that the risk of lung cancer for passive smokers goes up the more cigarette smoke they are exposed to. Overall, people exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at work or at home have their risk of lung cancer increased by about a quarter compared to people who are not exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Heavy exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at work has been shown to double the risk of lung cancer.

Cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. But pipe and cigar smokers are still much more likely to get lung cancer than non smokers. (They are also much more likely to get cancer of the mouth or lip.)

In the past, lung cancer has always been more common in men than women. Now, as more women smoke, it is almost as common in women.