How is it that smoking gives you cancer?

Question: How is it that smoking gives you cancer?

Asked by frankie to Iain, Gioia, Jo, Leo, Mariam on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: Your Research. This question was also asked by alisonkatie, sbrazlil1, marema.
- Iain Moal answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Well, there are molecules in smoke called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which can damage your DNA. If they happen to damage parts of the DNA that are involved with regulating the growth and division of cells, then they can cause them to grow without control and turn into cancer.
- Mariam Orme answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Cigarettes contain loads of chemicals, many of are “carcinogens” (which just means “chemicals that can cause cancer”). These chemicals generally act by damaging your DNA, so the cell has to try and repair it. Unfortunately, sometimes the repair isn’t perfect, so the DNA gets changed slightly, and that’s what we call a mutation. Most mutations are harmless, but some will be bad and make the cell start growing and dividing too much, so it takes over – that’s cancer.
- Joanna Watson answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Like Iain and Mariam said, the chemicals that are in the smoke damage the DNA in cells which cause cancer.
- Leo Garcia answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Tobacco smoke contains chemicals which damage the DNA in our cells which may make the cell mutate and become cancerous. A cancerous cell divides rapidly out of control, because it no longer has the correct DNA instructions which would have told the cell to eventually die.
  
  There are over 19 cancer causing substances (‘carcinogens’) in tobacco smoke.

Question: How is it that smoking gives you cancer?

Comments