If you smoke, have asthma, and your grandpa died of lung cancer, how high of a risk are you at developing it?
Posted on Mar 11, 2010 under Lung cancer |Even if you smoked only 5-6 years and not a heavy smoker…
I smoked for 5 years and that was 5 years ago. I have asthma now.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 am
high risk…stop smoking
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 am
ASK YOUR DOCTOR to explain everything to you.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Lung cancer doesnt come from a relative, down the lines, so its not possible to be passed on,
But you could get it just by smoking
I have never tried a smoke, and never want to
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 am
seeing as its in your families health history, you have a very high risk of developing serious diseases that come with smoking such as lung cancer . it doesnt take that long for it to affect your body , think about how non smokers never breath in the carbon monoxide and other chemicals stored in cigarettes, and if they do , certainly not as much as a smoker . the lungs are very sensitive . if you quit , it still takes years for them to fully develope back to what they were before you smoked .
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Smoking for 5-6 years shouldn’t be used in the same sentence as "only". That is actually a lot of smoking. If you quit now you can probably reverse a lot of the damage… but you are at high risk or developing cancer. And why are you smoking with asthma?
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers — both in smokers and in people exposed to secondhand smoke. But lung cancer also occurs in people who never smoked and in those who never had prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke. In these cases, there may be no clear cause of lung cancer. Doctors have identified factors that may increase the risk.
How smoking causes lung cancer
Doctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately. At first your body may be able to repair this damage. But with each repeated exposure, normal cells that line your lungs are increasingly damaged. Over time, the damage causes cells to act abnormally and eventually cancer may develop.
A number of factors may increase your risk of lung cancer. Some risk factors can be controlled, for instance, by quitting smoking. And other factors can’t be controlled, such as your sex. Risk factors for lung cancer include:
* Smoking. Smoking remains the greatest risk factor for lung cancer. Your risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Quitting at any age can significantly lower your risk of developing lung cancer.
* Exposure to secondhand smoke. Even if you don’t smoke, your risk of lung cancer increases if you’re exposed to secondhand smoke.
* Exposure to radon gas. Radon is produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water that eventually becomes part of the air you breathe. Unsafe levels of radon can accumulate in any building, including homes. Radon testing can determine whether levels are safe.
* Exposure to asbestos and other chemicals. Workplace exposure to asbestos and other substances known to cause cancer — such as arsenic, chromium, nickel and tar — also can increase your risk of developing lung cancer, especially if you’re a smoker.
* Family history of lung cancer. People with a parent, sibling or other first-degree relative with lung cancer have an increased risk of the disease.
* Excessive alcohol use. Drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol — no more than one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men — may increase your risk of lung cancer.
* Certain lung diseases. People with certain lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, may have an increased risk of lung cancer.