A reader asks, I've heard that smokers who have colon cancer develop it at an earlier age than nonsmokers. I'm 45 years old and have been around heavy smokers all my life. Am I at risk, too? Johns Hopkins reviews the data.
We've had evidence for more than a decade that smoking appears to increase a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer at a younger age than in nonsmokers. Now, there is increasing evidence that individuals who have been exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke also are at higher risk for early colorectal cancer development. When the exposure to secondhand smoke occurs appears to impact how early a cancer develops.
A recent study in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology found that nonsmokers with colorectal cancer who had been exposed to tobacco smoke when they lived at home with their parents were diagnosed at an average age of 60. In contrast, colorectal cancer patients who didn't have this type of exposure were diagnosed at an average age of 66. People who were exposed to smoke as children and were currently exposed were diagnosed on average at age 55.
Because you have been exposed to cigarette smoke all your life, and since this type of exposure may cause colorectal cancer to develop at an earlier age, discuss your history with your doctor. He or she may recommend that you begin screening earlier than a person at average risk
And if you smoke, here’s another good reason to quit: A new analysis published in the journal Gastroenterology (Volume 134, page 388 ) suggests that people who smoke appear to be at increased risk for the development of polyps, particularly aggressive ones that are more likely to progress to cancer.
Investigators reviewed data from 42 studies on the relationship between smoking and adenomatous polyps published between 1988 and 2007. They found that people who currently smoke or who had ever smoked had about double the risk of developing polyps as nonsmokers.
They also found that smokers were more likely to develop high-risk polyps -- those with a greater chance of becoming cancerous -- than low-risk polyps. This study adds to the body of evidence that smoking is a risk factor for high-risk polyps and, most likely, colorectal cancer as well.
