Smoking and Lung Cancer
One of the deadliest forms of cancer is that of the lung. Lung cancer is a primary killer of American citizens. According to an American Cancer Society report, lung cancer was responsible for 30 percent of all cancer deaths; more than 160,000 people died from lung cancer in 2007. And although some bad habits can contribute greatly to lung cancer, there are other factors that are largely out of a person's control. This article will explore one of those factors, genetics, and how it affects lung cancer.
How Cancer Cells Form
When cancer cells form, they are mutations of otherwise healthy cells. The mutation is usually caused by an outside source like carcinogens found in tobacco smoke that invades a healthy cell's DNA and changes it around, causing it to behave abnormally. Those cells tend to form tumors that appear as normal cells to the body but is actually one cell constantly reproducing itself within its own walls. All the while, your cells rob your body's systems of precious resources like oxygen and blood. When that tumor decides to break into organs like your lungs and take over, they become cancerous.
Genetic Influence; Smoking Still Bad
Lung cancer is mostly caused by those carcinogens. The Merck Medical Manual states that 85 percent of lung cancer is caused by smoking or smoking-related habits. But there are people who are genetically predisposed to have lung cancer without being near a cigarette. Less than 20 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.
A study by the Genetic Epidemiology of Lung Cancer Consortium in 2004 showed that there were three genetic markers in chromosome 6 that indicated a higher risk for lung cancer. The study also showed that those who did not carry the markers but smoked actually increased the chances of lung cancer not only for themselves but for their future generations. They also explained why some constant smokers never seem to develop lung cancer while some former smokers were diagnosed with lung cancer. The genetic predisposition either increased or decreased their odds.
These statistics show that, although lung cancer can be genetic, smoking and smoke-related habits or exposure to smoke are still the majority cause of lung cancer. Since smoking can alter your genetic makeup, it is a habit that makes it possible for you to pass on bad genes to future generations, making them susceptible to lung cancer without touching a cigarette. So all in all, the deadliest of cancerous diseases can be almost eliminated by quitting a bad habit.
Tags: lung cancer, cancer genetic, cancer without, diagnosed with, diagnosed with lung, future generations