Gunsmoke

Every time you smoke another cigarette, it's almost like loading a Russian Roulette revolver with another bullet. This dangerous habit markedly increases your chances of premature death, be it from cardiovascular complications or several types of cancer. Lung cancer is typically among those most closely linked to cigarette smoking, but the risk of head and neck cancers is also be increased.

A large study on smoking, conducted by the National Cancer Institute, revealed a strong association between smoking and malignancies of the neck and head. These cancers also include cancers of the nasal passage, larynx, pharynx, and oral cavity. An estimated 500,000 people are diagnosed with one of these types of cancer each year. While it was already known that smoking elevated the risk of these types of cancer, the study uncovered new information regarding gender.

Evidently, smoking may play a greater role in the development of head and neck cancers in women than in men. After examining an extensive amount of data, researchers found that 45 percent of these cancers could be attributed to smoking in men, 75 percent could be attributed to smoking in women.

The results of this study can be found in the October 2007 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer.