5 Alarming Risk Factors of Tobacco Consumption leading to Cancer

Tobacco usage is a leading cause of cancer and death. But it is important to understand that it also has numerous risk factors and leads to several other diseases and can damage nearly every organ in the human body, including the lungs, heart, blood vessels, mouth, skin, eyes, and bones.

Smoking not only increases the risk of developing various cancers, but it worsens cancer outcomes. In 2019, India had the second-highest number of tobacco smokers aged 15-24 and witnessed the highest increase of male smokers in this age group since 1990.

Risk Factors:

• Tobacco & Alcohol usage is the leading risk factor for causing cancer along with a family history of obesity and a sedentary lifestyle
• Tobacco in any form like Chewing, Smoking, and Hookah is harmful to health and would lead to a risk of developing cancer. It is directly related to the number and duration of tobacco consumption.
• Tobacco contains many harmful substances which are carcinogenic and also substance nicotine, which makes a person addicted to tobacco
• Tobacco-related cancers are mouth, Larynx, Lungs, Breast, Esophagus, Stomach, Bladder, Cervix, etc.
• Preventing tobacco use at any stage will reduce the risk of developing cancer by almost less than 50%.

Warning signs of cancer to look out for:

• Any sore that doesn’t heal like a mouth ulcer
• Unusual bleeding from the nose or per vaginal or per rectal
• Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
• Nagging cough
• Thickening or lump in the breast

 Prevention & Screening 

• Having a balanced diet, avoiding consumption of alcohol/ smoking, regular physical activity
• Family with a history of cancer should undergo early age screening & genetic counseling
• Women (sexually active) should undergo a Pap test
• Women more than 40years should undergo bilateral breast mammography yearly or bi-yearly
• Men more than 50 years should undergo prostate screening by digital rectal examination and SR-PSA test

Advanced treatment techniques

Cancer treatment has shifted from one approach to all to a more precise and personalized approach based on Molecular biology, genomics, and tumor biology. Several new techniques or drugs are used like immunotherapy, targeted therapy, which has shown improved outcome and less side-effect.

Surgery

• Removal of the tumor with aim of total clearance and free margins
• Recently newer surgical techniques and Procedures are applied for organ preservation and improved quality of life
• Minimum access surgeries are preferred like Robotic surgery based on the size & stage of the tumor site.

Once Surgery is done, the tumor is staged pathologically, later advised for Adjuvant treatment with either radiation or chemotherapy or both.

Radiation

• Use of high-energy X-rays for treatment of tumor – either benign or malignant.
• Radiation is delivered either externally by linear accelerator machine or internally using a radioactive source called Brachytherapy
• More than 60%ofcancers sites require Radiation Therapy during their treatment
• It is used as primary treatment i.e., Radial Radiation for cure& as adjuvant after or before surgery to kill the microscopic tumor cells.
• Recent techniques like IMRT, IGRT SRS, and SRT proved very effective for treatment in terms of improved overall survival, fewer Side Effects, and improved quality of life

Chemotherapy:

• Use of drugs to kill cancer cells and cure or control the disease
• It is used post-Surgery as an adjuvant treatment to treat the microscopic disease and pre-surgery to downstage the disease

 There is no safe level of smoking, quitting it completely is the best thing one can do for their health with the help of resources available to quit smoking. Also, regular health checkups to control risk factors and noticing the warning signs, and consulting the specialist will help in prevention and treating cancer early.

By Dr. Shantling Nigudgi, Senior Consultant Radiation Oncologist, HCG Cancer Centre Kalburgi