By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Former cigarette smokers who vape are more likely to get lung cancer, warns new research.
People who have stubbed out the habit but who use e-cigarettes or vaping devices are more likely to develop the deadly disease than those who don’t vape, according to the findings of the Korean study.
Corresponding author Dr. Yeon Wook Kim said: “This is the first large population-based study to demonstrate the increased risk of lung cancer in e-cigarette users after smoking cessation.”
Electronic cigarettes have gained worldwide popularity as an alternative to conventional cigarettes, and some smokers turn to vaping to try and stop the habit.
However, there is little information on the potential long-term consequences of vaping.
Biological studies have suggested that possible dangers of vaping could include pulmonary toxicity and lung cancer.
E-cigarettes and heating elements have been shown to contain carbonyl compounds, such as formaldehyde, and even toxic metals – including chromium, nickel and lead – which are known to be carcinogenic. The toxins are also present in conventional cigarettes.
Dr Kim, an Assistant Professor at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea, said: “Our results indicate that when integrating smoking cessation interventions to reduce lung cancer risk, the potential harms of using e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking must be considered.”
To determine the risk, the research team evaluated health information from more than 4.3 million people who at some point were smokers. They categorized the participants into six groups according to their smoking history and habit change.
The research team then used statistical analyses to assess each group’s risk of developing lung cancer and of dying from it.
They found that 53,354 participants had developed lung cancer during the course of the 10-year study and 6,351 died from the disease.
Former cigarette smokers who had quit five years or more and used e-cigarettes were at greater risk of lung cancer-related death than ex-smokers who had quit five years or more and hadn’t used e-cigarettes.
For smokers who had quit less than five years, those who used e-cigarettes were found to have both a higher risk of both lung cancer and lung cancer mortality than non-e-cigarette users.
Dr. Kim and his colleagues also looked at people aged 50 to 80 with a smoking history of 20 or more years, because these individuals would be likely to be referred for lung cancer screening.
Ex-smokers in that group who had quit the habit for five years or more and used e-cigarettes reported a higher risk of both lung cancer and lung cancer-related death than those who didn’t use e-cigarettes.
Former smokers who vaped and had quit smoking less than five years before also had a higher comparative risk of lung cancer.
Dr. Kim added: “Clinicians must highlight the potential harmful effects of alternative e-cigarettes use when integrating smoking cessation interventions to reduce lung cancer risk.”
The findings were presented at the annual conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in San Diego.
