eMedicineLive

Smoking is a known risk factor for lung cancer as well as the cancers of the head and neck region. A new fact that has been recently uncovered regarding the relationship of smoking to the development of these cancers is that people who reach out to smoke the first thing in the morning after they wake up are at an increased likelihood of developing cancer. The question, that why some people are more prone to develop cancer after smoking than others, has bothered the scientists for a long time. A new study was undertaken by Joshua Muscat, PhD, of the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, and his colleagues to find out whether the time to first cigarette after waking affects smokers' risk of lung and head and neck cancers, irrespective of his frequency and duration of cigarette smoking.

 

Published early online in “Cancer”, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study analyzed 4,775 lung cancer cases and 2,835 controls, all of whom were regular cigarette smokers. It was found that individuals who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking were 1.31 times as likely to develop lung cancer, and those who smoked within 30 minutes were 1.79 times as likely to develop lung cancer, as compared to those individuals who reached out for a cigarette at least one hour after waking up.

 

The study also analyzed 1,055 head and neck cancer cases and 795 controls, all with a history of cigarette smoking. Here too, it was seen that individuals who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking were 1.42 times as likely to develop head and neck cancer, and those who smoked within 30 minutes were 1.59 times as likely to develop head and neck cancer, as compare to people who smoked one hour after waking.

 

According to Dr. Muscat, people who smoke as soon as they get up, may be more addicted and dependent on nicotine because of a combination of genetic and personal factors. Such smokers would benefit from targeted smoking cessation programs to reduce their risk of developing lungs and head and neck cancers.

 

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