New Study Suggests Vaping Poses Similar Health Risks as Cigarettes
- “Titanic” star Leonardo DiCaprio, 49, is a well-known vape user. However, vaping or using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may pose similar health risks as smoking cigarettes.
- A new study published in “Cancer Research” suggests vaping can damage the DNA of cells in a person’s mouth, similar to cigarettes.
- “The researchers found that epithelial cells (cells that line organs and are often the cells of origin for cancer) in the mouth showed substantial epigenomic (DNA) changes in smokers.
- These changes are further elevated in lung cancers or pre-cancers when compared to normal lung tissue, supporting the idea that the epigenetic changes associated with smoking allow cells to grow more quickly,” the study said.
- Lung cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms until it has already spread outside the lungs, making it difficult to catch and treat in the early stages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cigarette smoking is linked to about 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths.
“Titanic” actor Leonardo DiCaprio, 49, is no stranger to vaping. He famously vaped at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2016. However, for vape users, the habit may pose health risks in a similar way to cigarettes.
A new study published in “Cancer Research” suggests vaping can damage the DNA of cells in a person’s mouth, similar to cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes is widely known to be a cancer risk factor, most notably for lung cancer. However, researchers have long questioned if electronic cigarettes had a similar effect. This new study suggests vaping or e-cigarettes may have similar effects as cigarettes, but more research is needed to know conclusively.
“The researchers found that epithelial cells (cells that line organs and are often the cells of origin for cancer) in the mouth showed substantial epigenomic (DNA) changes in smokers. Importantly, these changes are further elevated in lung cancers or pre-cancers when compared to normal lung tissue, supporting the idea that the epigenetic changes associated with smoking allow cells to grow more quickly,” the study said.
Dr. Chiara Herzog is one of the study’s lead authors. After the results of the study were published, Dr. Herzog said, “We cannot say that e-cigarettes cause cancer-based on our study, but we do observe e-cigarette users exhibit some similar epigenetic changes in buccal cells as smokers, and these changes are associated with future lung cancer development in smokers.”
Helping Patients Understand Lung Cancer Risks
Smoking and Lung Cancer Risk
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Nonsmokers still get lung cancer, but cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for the disease. Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of more than 7,000 different chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer, the CDC says.
The CDC says cigarette smoking is linked to about 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, and people who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who don’t smoke. Additionally, second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer.
WATCH: How Smokers and Non-smokers Differ
Smoking is, of course, the primary cause of lung cancer, but nonsmokers can and do develop this disease. Researchers have made progress in understanding the differences between lung cancer in smokers versus nonsmokers, says Dr. Ronald Natale, a medical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and they’re developing targeted treatments that will be able to address the genetic drivers of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
“Among patients who are nonsmokers, or former very light smokers, we identify a mutation that we can target with pills in about 60% to 70% of them. That leaves 30% or so, 40%, in whom we either have a target for which we do not have successful treatment,” Dr. Ronald Natale, a medical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.
“Among patients who are smokers, who have more complex cancers that have hundreds, sometimes thousands of mutations, don’t have a driver mutation that we can give a pill for, which is only a tiny percentage of lifelong smokers. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment in most patients,” Dr. Natale explains further.
Understanding Lung Cancer
Lung cancer forms when cancer cells develop in the tissues of the lung. It is the second most common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the U.S., SurvivorNet experts say. The reason is that it’s “completely asymptomatic,” says the thoracic surgeon-in-chief at Temple University Health System, Dr. Joseph Friedberg.
“It causes no issues until it has spread somewhere. So, if it spreads to the bones, it may cause pain. If it spreads to the brain, it may cause something not subtle, like a seizure,” Dr. Friedberg adds.
WATCH: Detecting lung cancer in the absence of symptoms.
Scans such as X-rays can help doctors determine if a shadow appears, which can prompt further testing for lung cancer.
Lung cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms until it has already spread outside the lungs, according to SurvivorNet’s experts.
There are two main types of lung cancer, which doctors group together based on how they act and how they’re treated:
- Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type and makes up about 85% of cases.
- Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is less common, but it tends to grow faster than NSCLC and is treated very differently.
Some people with lung cancer may experience symptoms such as:
- A cough that doesn’t go away, that gets worse, or that brings up bloody phlegm
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Hoarse voice
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
If you are experiencing these kinds of symptoms consistently, contact your doctor for further tests.
If you quit smoking, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing the disease and dying from it.
Treatment options for lung cancer depend on its type, its location, and its staging. In general, treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of any of these treatments.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you find yourself diagnosed with lung cancer and are concerned about the long-term impacts, here are some questions you can ask your doctor.
- Has my cancer spread to other parts of the body?
- Based on my cancer stage, what are my treatment options?
- What are the side effects of my recommended treatment?
- Are there ways to help minimize the effects of treatment?
- How long will I be unable to work or carry out my daily activities?
- What financial resources are available to get the treatments I need?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.