CAUSES OF LUNG CANCER

Lung cancer is a disease in which a primary cancer (the original site where the cancer occurred) develops in the tissue of the lungs. Lung cancer was first described by doctors in the mid 1800's. At the turn of the century, it was still considered a rarity ;that has changed dramatically. What has not changed is the difficultly of detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages when it has the greatest chance of being successfully treated. "Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer among both men and women, with 168,000 new cases in 1992 and 146,00 deaths" ;(Winawer 283).
"If you fall into the following categories of people who have been heavy smokers, you have the greatest chance of being diagnosed with lung cancer: a male over 60 ;someone who has smoked one for more packs of cigarettes a day for 20 years or longer ;someone who began to smoke before the age of 20 and is still smoking: a worker in a industrial plant with a high risk material, such as asbestos, who also smoke. Someone who has persistent or violent smokers cough ;someone who does not smoke but is frequently exposed to unnecessary passive smoke" ;(Cooper 114-120).
Numerous studies all over the world have shown a link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, as well as other cancers, with an increase in cigarette smoking followed by an increase of lung cancer. Most of these studies involve the testing of non-smokers and smokers to see how things can affect them differently and why. The most common symptom of lung cancer is a cough caused by a blockage of the air passage to the lung as the tumor grows. Smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, as well as other cancers and diseases, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. "Smoking is considered the single largest unnecessary and preventable cause of disease and early death in the United States" ;(Napoli 123).
The tobacco plant dates back 7,000 years, originating somewhere between North and South America. Native Americans may have been the first people to smoke, chew, or snuff tobacco, and they introduced it to European explorers. In the 17th and 18th centuries it increased in popularity. "In 1761 John Hill, a physician in London, reported an association between snuff and cancer of the nose. Thirty years later a doctor in Germany reported on a relationship between tobacco use and lip cancer." ;(Altman and Sarg 252). However, it was not until the 20th century that researchers started seriously investigating the use of tobacco and its consequences. Studies conducted by scientists in different countries began appearing in medical journals describing the relationship between cigarette smoking and cancer and other various diseases.
"The first study in the United States citing conclusive evidence of the association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was published in 1950. In 1964, the United States surgeon generals landmark report, "The Health Consequences of Smoking," ;was released which showed strong casual relationship between smoking and lung cancer" ;(Altman and Sarg). Since that time researchers have sought and obtained corroborative evidence from many different sources that cigarette smoking leads to early death. There are now thousands of studies that detail many different and severe consequences of smoking.
The only organization that maintains that there is no definite proof of the hazards of smoking is the Tobacco Institute, created and funded by the tobacco industry to lobby and coordinate its public relations. When the Tobacco Industry says something like this it makes you wonder how many of there employees have gotten lung cancer from smoking there tobacco products.
Research has also been done on the effect of tobacco smoke on non-smokers. Evidence of its harmful potential is mounting: "According the National Cancer Institute, non-smokers who live with a smoker are increased risk of developing lung cancer. Epidemiological studies indicate that the risk for lung cancer in non-smokers increases 30% if they are married to a smoker ;the risk increases to 70% if the spouses is a heavy smoker" ;(Altman and Sarg 253). Involuntary smoking may be partially harmful for specific population groups, such as children. My opinion is that a child receiving lung cancer because their parents smoked should be punished in some way, like a big fine, or never be able to buy another pack of cancer their entire lives. " ;In 1990 the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that passive or involuntary smoking causes 3,000 deaths a year as well as a substantial number of other respiratory illness or deaths among the children of smokers"(Simmonds 527). The unborn child of women who smoke, a very special group of passive smokers, weigh less at birth and are a greater risk for spontaneous abortion, fetal death, and sudden infant death syndrome. Passive smoking also has some non life threatening but very annoying side affects, including burning, itching and tearing eyes, headaches, coughing, irritation, of the nose and throat, allergic reactions and discomfort from the smell.
"Smoking is responsible for about 400,000 deaths a year in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that cigarette smoking is responsible for 88% of the lung cancer deaths among women"(Henderson 74). Smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, cervix, kidney and bladder. Smoking is a major cause of heart disease and is associated with conditions ranging from colds and gastric ulcers to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and cerebrovascular disease.
More than 2000 chemical compounds have been identified in processed tobacco, among them, three classes of carcinogens. In 1998 the Surgeon General released a report on nicotine addiction concluding that cigarettes and other forms of tobacco are addictive, that nicotine is the drug that causes addiction, and that cigarette addiction is similar to the addiction of such drugs as heroin and cocaine.
"In 1989 the surgeon generals report found that prevalence of smoking in the Untied States decreased from 40% in 1965 to 29% in 1987 adult male smokers dropped from 42% of the population to 32% of the population, while women smokers dropped from 32% to 27%"(Winawer 122-125). It is estimated that as of 1990 there were 38 million ex-smokers and 50 million smokers. Smoking rates are still higher among blacks, blue collar people, and less educated people. Children are also starting to smoke at earlier ages. Some children are starting as early as middle school, most start in Junior high if there going to start, at an early age. In the United States, more than 3,000 teenagers became regular smokers everyday.
In 1990 the Surgeon General released a report showing that people who quit smoking, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke. In fact, Fifteen to 20 years after quitting, the risk of lung cancer is about that of a person who never smoked.
Cigarette smoking is unquestionably the major identified cause of human cancer, accounting for nearly one third of all cancer deaths. Since lung