World No Tobacco Day 2020: Know your risk of different types of cancers if you smoke or chew tobacco

Tobacco use is the leading cause of death worldwide. Tobacco and tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 different types of chemicals. And, more than 60 of these chemicals are carcinogenic in nature, according to the International Agency on Research in Cancer (IARC). However, the main chemical in tobacco is nicotine. This is a highly addictive substance and can, over time, make a person physically and psychologically dependent on it. In India, tobacco has been used since ancient times both for chewing and smoking.

Today, this country is the second largest consumer and third largest producer of tobacco in the world. Today, on the eve of World No Tobacco Day, it is important to highlight the dangers that lie in its use. This day is dedicated to raising awareness on the many dangers of tobacco use. Acknowledging the danger of tobacco use, the World Health Oranisation designated May 31 as the World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and diseases it causes.

Dangers of tobacco use

If you use tobacco in any form, you are at risk of many diseases including many types of cancers. It affects almost all the organs of the body but cancer is the main danger here. It can lead to cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, brain, esophagus, lungs, gall bladder, kidney and breast. It is also behind many other chronic conditions like heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, blindness, tooth and gum diseases.

Here, on the eve of World No Tobacco Day, let us take a look at the cancers that this use can cause.

How it affects the body and causes cancer

When you smoke, you are breathing in the carcinogens present in tobacco. It gets into your bloodstream, which carries the chemicals to all parts of your body. The result is DNA damage. It affects your body at the cellular level. If your DNA is damaged DNA, the cells in your body grow abnormally and this leads to cancer.

Cancers that can happen as a result of tobacco use

Almost 9 out of 10 lung cancer cases are a direct result of tobacco use. This is also the leading cause of death worldwide. Other than this, smoking or chewing products increases your risk of many other types of cancers including bladder cancer, cervical cancer and blood cancer. Your risk of colon and rectum cancers as well as cancer of the esophagus will also go up significantly as will kidney and renal pelvis cancers. You also in crease your risk of liver, pancreas and stomach cancer. Cancers of the mouth, throat, bronchi and trachea are very common in tobacco users.

How you can bring down your risk

Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco products. If you do so, stop immediately. Stopping tobacco use can reduce your risk significantly. Even second-hand and third-hand tobacco smoke is dangerous. So, try to stay away from people who smoke or move away if somebody lights up near you. Make your house and office a ‘no-smoking’ zone. All this will significantly bring down your risk of tobacco-related cancers.