A recent study from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC—James) and College of Public Health has found that people who both vape and smoke are four times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who only smoke.
This groundbreaking study, published in the Journal of Oncology Research and Therapy, is the first to show that combining smoking with vaping increases cancer risk compared to smoking alone. The findings were consistent across different genders and races.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, causing 1.8 million deaths in 2020 alone. According to the American Thoracic Society, about 87% of these cancers can be directly linked to persistent tobacco smoking.
For this study, researchers conducted a case-control analysis involving 4,975 individuals with lung cancer and a control group of 27,294 people without cancer. All participants were from the same geographic area (treated in Columbus, Ohio) and had similar distributions of age, gender, and race.
The study revealed that vaping combined with cigarette smoking was eight times more common in people with lung cancer compared to those without the disease.
Furthermore, the data indicated that the risk of developing lung cancer was four times higher among individuals who both vaped and smoked compared to those who only smoked.
“Our findings provide the first evidence that smoking in combination with vaping significantly increases the risk of lung cancer compared to smoking alone.
Most people know that tobacco smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals, but overall, there is less knowledge about the chemicals inhaled through vape vapors,” said Randall Harris, MD, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study and professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health.
The study’s authors emphasize the importance of considering these additional health risks in the regulation of the tobacco product industry, particularly concerning inhaled flavorings and nicotine concentrations. This is crucial to protect public health.
“From a public health perspective, we have always been concerned about the dual use of both traditional and e-cig products. This study presents clear evidence showing that vaping in addition to smoking can increase your risk for lung cancer.
This is especially concerning given the rate of youth and young adults using these products,” said lead author Marisa Bittoni, Ph.D., a researcher in the medical oncology division in the College of Medicine.
The researchers call for more studies on the health effects of alternative tobacco products to provide a scientific basis for regulating the tobacco industry. This is particularly important given the rising popularity of vaping among younger populations.
If you care about lung health, please read studies about marijuana’s effects on lung health, and why some non-smokers get lung disease and some heavy smokers do not.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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