Posted on 10/25/2021 5:37:54 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Smokers who kick the habit before age 45 can nearly eliminate their excess risk of dying from lung or other cancers, a new study estimates.
It's well-established that after smokers quit, their risk of tobacco-related cancers drops substantially over time.
Researchers said the new findings underscore the power of quitting as early as possible. Among more than 400,000 Americans they followed, smokers died of cancer at three times the rate of nonsmokers. However, smokers who managed to quit by age 45 lowered that excess risk by 87%.
And if they overcame the habit by age 35, their excess risk of cancer death was erased, said Blake Thomson, a researcher at the American Cancer Society who led the study.
He stressed that it's never too late to quit. Smokers who quit in their 50s to early 60s also substantially lowered their excess risk of cancer death.
But the findings do underscore the power of kicking the habit as early as possible.
"If you're a smoker in your 30s, hopefully these findings will speak to you," Thomson said.
The study was published this month in the journal JAMA Oncology. It looked at data on more than 410,000 Americans who entered an ongoing federal health survey between 1997 and 2014.
Around 10,000 participants died of cancer during the study period. And on average, smokers were three times more likely to die of cancer -- most often lung cancer -- compared with people who'd never smoked.
Much, however, depended on age -- the age at which smokers both started and quit.
The younger people started smoking, the greater their risk of eventually dying from cancer. Among those who started before age 18, the risk of dying from cancer was increased at least three-fold.
When people started smoking before age 10, their risk of cancer death was quadrupled versus lifelong nonsmokers.
It may sound surprising, Thomson noted, but there are smokers who get hooked that early in life.
For people who pick up the habit at a tender age, "it's imperative that they quit as soon as possible," Thomson said.
That's because overall, his team estimates, smokers who quit before age 35 wiped out their excess risk of dying from cancer. Meanwhile, those who quit before age 45 slashed their excess risk by 87%.
The outlook was also good for smokers who quit later. If they managed to do so between the ages of 45 and 54, their excess risk was cut by 78%, and by 56% if they quit between the ages of 55 and 64.
"The take-home message is that it is never too early and never too late to quit," said Dr. David Tom Cooke, a volunteer spokesperson for the American Lung Association.
He said doctors should help patients kick the habit as early as possible, but also "never give up" trying to quit.
"Sometimes an individual has to quit multiple times to stay off tobacco products permanently," said Cooke, who is also a professor of general thoracic surgery at the University of California, Davis Health.
In general, he said, smokers fare better when they get some help in the effort, whether from their doctor or through free government "quitlines," which operate in every state. In a recent study, Cooke and his colleagues found that participating in California's free quitline boosted quit rates among smokers seen at their clinic.
That kind of support, Thomson said, can help people sort out their smoking-cessation options. These include two prescription medications and over-the-counter nicotine replacement products, like gums and patches.
Smoking raises the risk of numerous cancers, Thomson noted -- including colon, kidney, bladder, stomach and pancreatic cancer. But lung cancer is the top cancer killer among smokers.
Some former smokers who've quit within the past 15 years still qualify for annual CT scans to screen for lung cancer -- depending on their age and how heavily they smoked in the past.
"I would encourage any current or former smoker to talk to their primary care provider and find out if they are eligible for lung cancer screening," Cooke said.
I quit smoking at age 45. That was 18 years ago. It was a decision made in by best interests.
Light ‘em if you got ‘em, youngins.
I was reading if you get the vaccine, you lowered that excess risk by 100%. If it was not for the cost of smokes I would get the shot and take up smoking again.
I gave up my 5 pack a day habit at 37. God convinced me to do so by providing a thoroughly convincing but false heart attack. Now 73 I’ve been quit twice as long as I smoked.
I new an old lady when I was young who chewed ‘bacca, took snuff, smoked pot, and drank whisky.
She lived well into her 90’s.
She could have had a long life if it weren’t for those vices.
It’s easy to quit...I’ve done it lots of times.
Did you smoke two at a time?
I smoked for about 4.5 years (age 18-22), mostly during my time as a young Airman in the USAF.
Quitting was difficult, but eventually doable.
Now, in my 70s, I'm oh, so happy that I persevered.
.
I knew a guy that passed away at 93 after smoking 3-4 packs of Camel non filters and a quart of Jim Beam or Kessler everyday. Asked my doctor and he said that’s the problem with genetics, you don’t know what the impact of smoking or drinking will do to your body.
I was just going to mention that.
I think genetics mostly determines how old we will live, and not the health advice we follow as long as we don’t go to extremes.
Of course we all like to think we really have more control than we actually do. It gives us hope I suppose.
I have to admit quitting smoking was the best health care decision I ever made, even if it meant I gained a good but of weight which I have yet to lose.
But I would probably be immobile now had I not quit.
Starting is dumb, quitting is good.
The decision to quit is always on the smoker. The best way to make a smoker smoke forever is try to force or nag him/her to quit.
There’s no accounting for pre-disposed genetics, is all I’ll say.
I quit a month ago after 50+ years of smoking. I couldn’t go cold turkey and had to have some help, but I’m feeling better and have more energy. The wheezing I had is gone, but mostly I feel free.
I tried to quit several times, the longest was 6 weeks, but the cravings were just as strong at 6 weeks as they were at day one. I was so discouraged. I did however manage to quit menthol, and stayed quit. I had horrific nightmares and discovered I was sensitive to some of the meds used for cessation, and couldn’t use the patch either. It was very miserable and the thought of a repeat of that experience was a great deterrent from trying again. Until now. It just happened. It’s taken some time to get completely comfortable, but I feel a sense of freedom and relief.
The damage to my lungs may never completely reverse itself, but at least it won’t continue.
Good for you. Glad I never took it up. I have asthma myself and never wanted to make myself feel worse than I had to.
Love that!!
I had a doctor tell me that I had reduced my risks by starting smoking as a full-grown adult (24) instead of as a teenager.
Who knows? I was over 45 when I quit. 😏
I was 35 when I quit. I was a 2 pack a day smoker and developing Strep Throat is what helped me finally kick it. For me that was 32 years ago.
Good job! I quit about 18 months ago after almost 40 years. I still think about it every day, but have saved some money aside, so that helps. Now I see they are $7/pack around here.
Covid actually helped me to quit, due to just not wanting to go in the stores and gas stations, to buy cigarettes. I also feel free, and feel less the social outcast... not hiding from the grandkids, etc. But between quitting smoking and the MANY stressors of the past 2 years, I have gained weight and not very happy about that. Trying to forgive myself for that.
She could have had a long life if it weren’t for those vices.
People who drink alcohol are healthier.
I think those things she did made her live longer.
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