Smoking Cigarettes. - Cancer: Lung Message Board

Natsome · 01-12-2004, 06:11 PM

I have smoked on and off for the last 10 years, i did not smoke much in that time, but i was smoking 3 cigarettes a day. I am 29 yrs old and have stopped, what are my chances of getting lung cancer?

butterflytrans · 01-12-2004, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natsome

I have smoked on and off for the last 10 years, i did not smoke much in that time, but i was smoking 3 cigarettes a day. I am 29 yrs old and have stopped, what are my chances of getting lung cancer?

The amount one smokes is often measured in a unit called the pack*year

A pack year is the number of packs you smoke a day * the number of years you smoke. Most studies which show tobacco having a deleterious effect on the body happen after a 10 pack*year history of smoking. This can be 1 pack a day for 10 years, 2 packs a day for 5 years and so on. Believe it or not, I've seen a person who was smoking 5 packs of cigarettes a day!!!

Anyway, so you having smoked 3/24ths of a pack off and on for 10 years is almost a negligible amount of smokes for a risk for cigarette induced lung cancer.

Blessed1 · 01-13-2004, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterflytrans

The amount one smokes is often measured in a unit called the pack*year

A pack year is the number of packs you smoke a day * the number of years you smoke. Most studies which show tobacco having a deleterious effect on the body happen after a 10 pack*year history of smoking. This can be 1 pack a day for 10 years, 2 packs a day for 5 years and so on. Believe it or not, I've seen a person who was smoking 5 packs of cigarettes a day!!!

Anyway, so you having smoked 3/24ths of a pack off and on for 10 years is almost a negligible amount of smokes for a risk for cigarette induced lung cancer.

*******
You don't have to have smoked to get lung cancer either.. Just an FYI.

butterflytrans · 01-13-2004, 06:27 PM

...which is why I wrote CIGARETTE INDUCED lung cancer. Other forms of lung cancer, not including metastases, are mostly made up of occupational exposures like silica, asbestos (which still rarely gives lung cancer, but rather pleural cancer), benzene, radon etc. Certain infections can also predispose to lung cancer like chronic TB, or paragonamiasis. There are also certain forms of lung cancers which can arise in MEN (Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia) syndromes...but once again, very rare. Almost 90% of lung cancers (if not more) in N. america are due to cigarette smoking.

PS Oh yeah! Let's not forget second hand smoke!