Smoking alters saliva to raise cancer risk-study

	Tweet

Smoking destroys protective molecules in saliva and transforms it into a dangerous cocktail of chemicals that increases the risk of mouth cancer, scientists said on Tuesday.

“Cigarette smoke is not only damaging on its own, it can turn the body against itself,” said Dr Rafi Nagler, of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. 

Saliva contains antioxidants, molecules that normally protect the body against cancer, but Nagler and his colleagues have discovered that cigarette smoke destroys the molecules and turns saliva into a dangerous compound.

“Our study shows that once exposed to cigarette smoke, our normally healthy saliva not only loses its beneficial qualities but it turns traitor and actually aids in destroying the cells of the mouth and oral cavity,” he added.

In research reported in the British Journal of Cancer, Nagler and his team studied the impact of cigarette smoke on cancerous cells in the laboratory.

Half of the cells were exposed to saliva exposed to cigarette smoke and the other half just to the smoke. Cells exposed to the saliva mixture had more damage and it increased along with the time of exposure.

“Most people will find it very shocking that the mixture of saliva and smoke is actually more lethal to cells in the mouth than cigarette smoke alone,” Nagler added in a statement.

Smoking and drinking are the leading causes of head and neck or oral cancers, which includes cancer of the lip, mouth, tongue, gums, larynx and pharynx. Nearly 400,000 new cases of the illness are diagnosed worldwide each year with the majority in developing countries. The five-year survival rates are less than 50 percent.

Nagler and his colleagues believe the research could open up new avenues to develop better treatments to prevent oral cancer.

“This insight into how mouth cancer can develop offers more reasons for smokers to try and quit,” said Jean King, of Cancer Research UK, which publishes the journal. “People know the link with lung cancer and this research adds compelling evidence about the damage smoking can do to the mouth.”

SOURCE: British Journal of Cancer, 2004.

RELATED STORIES:
Fish oil may hold key to leukemia cure   Cancer Stem Cells Suppress Immune Response Against Brain Tumor   Cancer threat from radon gas has been underestimated, report says   Blood test accurately detects early ovarian cancer   WHO says cell phone use “possibly carcinogenic”   Cancer-blaster shoots for Valley   New MRI Scan May Help Gauge Brain Cancer Treatment   FDA expands access to experimental melanoma drug   Patients With Cancer Who Stop Hospice Care Boost Health Care Costs   Young Women Burned by Addictions to Tanning   Cell therapies for diabetes, cancer?   Roche’s Avastin works in third type of cancer

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]