Alright, let’s talk about kidney cancer. It’s no joke, and there are a bunch of things that can stack the odds against you. First off, being male, your family history, getting older, carrying some extra weight, and yup, smoking cigarettes, all play a role.
Smoking and Kidney Cancer
Now, when it comes to smoking, it’s like throwing fuel on the fire for kidney cancer. Studies have shown that smoking can hit all parts of your upper plumbing system—your kidneys, tubes, and even the pelvis. In the UK, they found that nearly a third of men’s kidney cancer cases and about 15% of women’s cases were linked to smoking.
The Impact of Smoking
And here’s the kicker: the more you smoke and the longer you’ve been at it, the higher your risk skyrockets. One study even found that if you’re puffing away on 20 or more cigs a day, you’re looking at double to triple the risk compared to non-smokers.
Quitting Smoking
But hey, there’s some good news in all of this. Quitting smoking, especially for a solid stretch like 10 years, can seriously slash that risk. Another study found that folks who used to smoke regularly were more than three times as likely to develop kidney cancer in certain parts of the plumbing system. And get this—smoking beat out all the other risk factors they looked at.
Types of Kidney Cancer and Smoking
Now, if you’re curious about the different types of kidney cancer, smoking seems to up the risk for certain types like clear-cell and papillary, but not so much for others like chromophobe.
For more detailed information, you can check out the full study here.
Course for a new life without cigarettes.