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· Lung Cancer
· Genes
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· Oregon
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Oregon docs say quitting helps, but genes can run amok
Jump to full article: The Oregonian, 2008-03-28
Author: ANDY DWORKIN The Oregonian
Intro: A fifth of U.S. adults -- 45 million people -- are, like Conn, former smokers. By quitting cigarettes, they dramatically cut their chances of getting heart disease, stroke and many cancers. But roughly a quarter will die from diseases caused by their old habit. Tens of thousands of former smokers will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.
"When people stop smoking, their lung cancer risk tends to decrease over time," said Dr. Stephen Chui, an OHSU Cancer Institute oncologist. "On the other hand, we've all had the experience of someone who smoked for a couple of years 25 years ago showing up with a horrible lung cancer."
New science is helping explain why cigarettes' threat doesn't vanish. Maria Teresa Landi and her National Cancer Institute co-workers looked at cells from the lungs and lung tumors of 28 smokers, 26 ex-smokers and 20 people who never smoked but still developed lung cancer. In both current and former smokers, more than 120 genes worked at far different rates than in the tissues of nonsmokers.
And a surprisingly small number of smokes could harm your health for a surprisingly long time. . . .
Knowing that smoking may permanently alter genes in your lungs is a great reason not to start, Kohn said. So is knowing that even a few packs can hurt you permanently. Cigarettes aren't like alcohol, where a daily drink might help your health.
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