Early morning smokers have an increased risk of lung cancer and head and neck cancers

Two new studies have shown that smokers who tend to have their first cigarette soon after they wake up in the morning can have a higher risk of developing lung cancer and head and neck cancer than smokers who refrain from lighting up right away. Published early online in cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the results can help identify smokers have a particularly high risk of developing cancer develop and benefit from targeted non-smoking interventions to reduce their risk.

Cigarette smoking increases the probability of the development of different types of cancer. But why only get some smokers cancer? Joshua Muscat, PhD, of the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, and his colleagues examined whether nicotine dependence as characterized by the time after waking up to first cigarette smokers risk of lung cancer and head and neck cancers independent of cigarette smoking frequency and duration.

The lung cancer analysis included 4,775 lung cancer cases and 2.835 controls, all of whom were regular cigarette smokers. In comparison with people who are more than 60 minutes after waking up people who smoked, 31 to 60 minutes after the awakening smoked 1.31 times as likely to develop lung cancer, and those who smoke within 30 minutes were 1.79 times as likely to develop lung cancer.

The head and neck cancer analysis included 1,055 head and neck cancers and 795 controls, all with a history of smoking cigarettes. In comparison with people who are more than 60 minutes after waking up, individuals who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after wake up were 1.42 times as likely to develop smoked were of head and neck cancer, and those who smoke within 30 minutes 1.59 times as likely to head and neck cancer to develop.

These findings indicate that the need to smoke right after waking up in the morning smokers chances of getting cancer can increase. "These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers that smoking for half an hour or more to remember," said Dr. Muscat. "It may be a combination of genetic and personal factors that lead to a higher dependence to nicotine."

According to the authors, because smokers who first thing in the morning light up a group with a high risk of developing cancer, would they take advantage of targeted smoking cessation programs. Such interventions may help reduce the negative health effects of tobacco, as well as the costs associated with its use.

Sources: Wiley-Blackwell, AlphaGalileo Foundation.