Smoking and Breast Cancer- What is the relationship?

A 2019 statistics reports that about 34.6% of adults in India consume tobacco in the form of smoking, out of which 20.3% are females.

What happens to your body when you smoke?

As you smoke, it damages your body heavily by causing diseases like cancer (more than 16 types of cancers – including mouth, kidney, liver, etc. even breast cancer), cardiovascular damage (effecting the heart & blood vessels), stroke, lung diseases, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking also increases your risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, weakened immunity and rheumatoid arthritis. Smoking reduces overall health in general.

Tobacco usage is one of the leading causes of cancer and death by cancer. It has been emphasized several times on the safe level of tobacco usage – there is none. Tobacco consumption is any amount is said to be harmful.

Harms of smoking:

It is true that smoking affects the one who is smokes regularly (First-hand smoking), however sadly it also effects the women who are continuously around them who smoke or have tobacco products used in your environment (Second-hand smoking). People of both these categories, have an increased risk of cancer – second hand smokers have DNA damage due to the inhaled tobacco chemicals.

Not just tobacco smoke products, but smokeless tobacco products, E-cigarettes and other similar devices are also just as harmful to the body.

Chemical Components in a Tobacco Smoke

A tobacco product like cigarette, cigars are made of a complex mixture of chemicals and additives. The three components of a tobacco smoke are Tar, Nicotine and Carbon Monoxide. However, there are several other chemicals found in it, these include:

Hydrogen cyanide
Formaldehyde
Lead
Arsenic
Ammonia
Radioactive elements, such as polonium-210 (see below)
Benzene
Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs)
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Nicotine: It is the addictive drug in tobacco smoke that causes people who smoke to continue smoking.

Tar: Tar is suspended in the smoke and contains cancer-causing agents. It is sticky and brown, and stains teeth, fingernails and lung tissue.

Carbon monoxide: This is an odorless and colorless poisonous gas. It is present in the blood of regular smokers and makes it harder for the oxygen to travel and reach the organs and muscles.

Many of the above-mentioned chemicals come from burning tobacco leaf. There are around 7000 chemicals in a cigarette smoke that people who smoke and those around them inhale.

Smoking and Breast Cancer

The list of cancers caused by the tobacco smoke toxins also includes breast cancer. Women who smoke or used to smoke are more likely to get breast cancer than those who don’t. According to a study, for women who currently smoke, the chances of dying because of breast cancer are high after lung cancer. There is a higher risk of breast cancer in younger and premenopausal women linked with smoking.

Smoking after a breast cancer diagnosis can worsen your prognosis and can lead to early death. Smoking can make cancer to come back.

There is wide research being carried out to know the relationship between smoking and breast cancer risk. However, smoking habits have been found to be a contributing factor for developing breast cancer.

Current evidence that shows the link between smoking and breast cancer risk

Some studies have observed the pattern of occurrence of breast cancer in women caused by smoking.

Following is the list of smoking habits, patterns in women that could cause breast cancer:

Women who have smoked for a very long time (can also mean that they started smoking from a very young age)
Women who are currently smoking
Smoked before the birth of their first child
Smoking when combined with heaving drinking habits (alcohol consumption)
Regular exposure to smoking or tobacco products (second-hand smoking)

Effect of smoking on breast cancer treatment

Smoking also increases complications from breast cancer treatment, these include:

Damage to the lungs from radiation therapy
Difficulty in healing after surgery and breast reconstruction
Higher risks of blood clots when taking hormonal therapy medicines

Tips to quit smoking

It’s never too late to stop smoking or give up smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco. Quitting smoking now can improve your health and reduces the risk of getting smoking-related illnesses.

Decide to quit smoking
Try nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) – Example: nicotine nasal sprays, gums, lozenges, etc. and consider non-nicotine medications.
Avoid triggers and practise ‘delay’ method: Observe the situations that makes you want to smoke and work to avoid them. Delay the moment when you want to smoke by at least 10 mins, which will help you in controlling your urge to smoke.
Seek behavioural help: Get self-help, counselling and support services to help you get through this journey of quitting to smoke. This could be approached via online as well.
Meet people who have quit smoking and learn their ways.
Include physical activity to distract and reduce the intensity of cravings.
Practise relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, calming music to deal with stress, as smoking may have been your stress reliever.
Remember the benefits of not smoking as a way to be motivated.

For more help, information and appointments, follow through this link: https://www.drpragnya.com/book-an-appointment/