Is smoking a high risk factor for developing stomach cancer?
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Is smoking a high-risk factor for developing gastric cancer? Yes, because tobacco smoke contains a lot of carcinogens, such as N-nitroso compounds, CO and cyclic phenols. When smoking, the carcinogens in smoke can dissolve in saliva and enter the stomach with swallowing. These substances can harm the gastric mucosa, and repeated damage and repair of the gastric mucosa increases the likelihood of gastric cancer.
Older smokers are at greater risk of developing stomach cancer
Smoking can cause stomach cancer, and, the more you smoke, the greater the risk.
An epidemiologic study that included more than 100,000 people found that smoking can significantly increase the incidence of stomach cancer. Compared with nonsmokers, the risk of stomach cancer was 12% higher in ex-smokers (patients who previously smoked and have now quit) and 25% higher in current smokers. For current smokers, the risk of gastric cancer is related to the amount of cigarettes smoked. One study found that those who smoked for 20 to 39 years had more than a 2-fold increased risk of stomach cancer, and those who smoked for more than 40 years had a 3.13-fold increased risk of stomach cancer.
The more you smoke in a single day, the greater the risk of gastric cancer
In addition to the accumulation of smoking over time, the intensity of smoking is another aspect of the risk of gastric cancer. There is a relationship between daily smoking and the risk of gastric cancer, with daily smoking >20 cigarettes increasing the chance of gastric cancer fivefold, and the greater the daily smoking, the higher the risk of gastric cancer.
Is there also a relationship between smoking and the site of gastric cancer?
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There is also a relationship between smoking and the site of gastric cancer. Smoking mainly causes pancreatic cancer (a malignant tumor that occurs at the junction of the esophagus and stomach) and upper 1/3 of the stomach.
People at high genetic risk for gastric cancer can cut their risk in half by doing these 4 things
Gastric cancer has some genetic risk, with familial clustering. For those at genetic risk, it’s really important to quit smoking.
One study showed that for people at high genetic risk for stomach cancer, simply adhering to a healthy lifestyle of 1) not smoking (or quitting for more than 15 years); 2) not drinking alcohol (or drinking for ≤1 month in the past year); 3) eating less pickled foods (≤4 days per week); and 4) eating fresh fruits and vegetables regularly (≥4 days per week). One can then reduce the relative risk of gastric cancer by 47%.
In addition, genetic risk and lifestyle factors have a mutually reinforcing effect on gastric cancer. That is, if genes are not dominant enough, and then you don’t pay attention to your lifestyle, that really adds to the problem.
Start quitting smoking today
Smoking can affect the development of gastric cancer as an independent risk factor for gastric cancer. It affects the development of gastric cancer in multiple ways and in multiple ways, and acts synergistically with multiple factors. For the sake of health and for the sake of hard-earned treatment, it is recommended that patients with gastric cancer start to quit smoking immediately today.
Smoking and alcohol are addictive, and it is not easy to quit. For quitting, it can be helpful to have a quit plan. The following points should be included in a quit plan:
- Set a quit date and stick to it.
- List the reasons for quitting: Go through the list of reasons before you start and every day after you quit.
- Record when and why you can’t resist smoking, and what happens when you smoke, which can help identify the triggers for smoking.
- Make a list of some things you like to do so that when you want to smoke, you can do other things instead of smoking.
- Consult your doctor about the possibility of using nicotine gum, nicotine patches, or medications that may help you quit smoking.
- Join a smoking cessation support group.
