Smoking kills about 5.4 million people worldwide every year. Noting that 884 thousand of them are related to passive smoking, Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital  Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Banu Musaffa Salepçi stated that 35 percent of the deaths due to smoking in the United States are caused by cancer and 80 percent of the deaths due to cancer are caused by lung cancer. Prof. Dr. Salepçi pointed out that the risk of lung cancer increases with the number and duration of smoking. 
Despite all the health problems and risks it poses, smoking is on the rise all over the world. According to 2015 data, about 1.2 billion people worldwide smoke cigarettes. Another major danger at this point is the age to start smoking. Stating that the rate of smoking among young people under the age of 15 is increasing every year, Yeditepe University Hospitals  Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Banu Musaffa Salepçi: “For instance, in the UK, more than 200,000 children start smoking every year. Not only cigarettes but other tobacco products, especially hookahs, and e-cigarettes, have become widely used by young people in recent years. This poses a risk of smoking-related problems at a much earlier age.”

Passive Smokers are Also at Risk

Smoking kills between five and six million people around the world every year, and that number is growing every year. In 2016 alone, 7.1 million deaths (5.1 million men, and 2 million women) were reported worldwide due to tobacco use. Prof. Dr. Banu Musaffa Salepçi pointed out that 6.3 million of these were due to active smoking and 884 thousand to passive smoking.

Depending on the Frequency and Duration of Smoking, the Risk Increases

35 percent of the deaths due to smoking in the USA between 1995-1999 were from cancer and 80 percent of cancer deaths were from lung cancer, Prof. Dr. Salepçi: “Cancer-causing substances found in cigarette smoke (especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, ketones…) react with cell DNA in the human body, leading to gene mutation and cancer development. The risk of lung cancer increases 20 times in those who smoke 10 or fewer cigarettes a day, and 5 times in those who smoke less than 4 cigarettes a day. Along with the number and duration of smoking, the risk of lung cancer increases. The link between lung cancer and smoking dates back to 1912. In the following years, a lot of research has been done on this subject, and in the 1950s, it was proven that people over the age of 45 who smoked more than 25 cigarettes a day had a 50-fold increased risk of lung cancer.”

Hookah is More Harmful Than Cigarettes

Cigarette smoke contains more than 5,300 chemicals, more than 70 of which have been identified as cancer-causing. Prof. Dr. Banu Musaffa Salepçi explained that these substances, which are also commonly found in electronic cigarettes, are more common in hookahs than cigarettes. “Hence, not only cigarettes but also other commonly used tobacco products such as hookahs and electronic cigarettes pose a threat to humanity.”

It Also Reduces the Effectiveness of Cancer Treatment

It is very important to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage. Because in the earliest stage of lung cancer, 5-year life is 77 percent, while in stage 4 lung cancer, this rate is between 2-22 percent. "For this reason, low-dose lung tomography is recommended every year in international lung cancer diagnosis and treatment guidelines for people who have smoked 1 pack a day for 30 years between the ages of 55-74, are still active smokers, or have quit less than 15 years ago." Yeditepe University Hospital Chest Disease Specialist Prof. Dr. Banu Musaffa Salepçi continued as follows: “As important as it is to catch and treat lung cancer at an early stage, it is at least as important to quit smoking at any stage after being diagnosed with cancer. Quitting smoking during both the diagnosis and treatment phases positively affects the life expectancy of a patient with lung cancer. Because continuing to smoke during treatment reduces the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy used and increases their side effects. For this reason, cigarettes or other tobacco products should not be used to prevent lung cancer. After the diagnosis, if it is used, cigarettes or other tobacco products must be stopped.”

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