When you start smoking, how long will it take for you to develop lung cancer?

Question

Is it possible to smoke and never develop lung cancer? I don't smoke but my daughter and son-in-law do .They are so young, I wish they would quit.Just curious about how long it takes to develop lung cancer once you start smoking...Lana

Answer 1

Lana,
Everyone is different in response to their development of disease. Some people who've never smoked but who have been around smokers (ie: second hand smoke) have developed cancer.
Some people who've smoked for years never develop lung cancer.
But you have a 100 x greater chance of developing it if you DO smoke. Not to mention you'll get sicker more often...with respiratory illnesses like bronchitis and/or pneumonia. Smoking paralyzes the cilia in your lungs, not allowing them to work to remove airborne junk that would normally be coughed or sneezed out.

Just don't EVER let them smoke in your home, around you, OR AROUND THEIR CHILDREN if they have any. Tell them how much you wish they'd stop. Hopefully they'll listen. Good luck.

Answer 2

In my experience, I have seen people in their 90's who have smoked all of their life and have not gotten lung cancer but usually they have some chronic obstructive pulmonary disease like emphysema. I have also known quite a few people who were heavy smokers and died of lung cancer in their 40's and 50's. I also have had quite a few friends who have died from lung cancer in their 50's and 60's who never smoked a day in their lives. Smoking definetly increases your risk for lung cancer and emphysema and other forms of cancer too. There is no set time though as to when you might develop the disease. Smoking is a bad habit that most people find offensive and odiferous not to mention the cost of cigarettes. Why start? Encourage them to quit!

Answer 3

There are many factors (not just smoking) that can cause a person to develop lung cancer. Daily life can expose a person to many carcinogens. How a person lives and eats can determine which road their health will take. So if someone is a smoker it's wise to defend against it with a healthy diet rich in anti-oxidants. Not every smoker develops lung cancer.

Answer 4

I am a nurse and I have seen young men die of cancer from smoking while his family sat at his side and cried. At first smoking seemingly has no negative affect except for a cough and less endurance with physical activity then after time the coughing get worse and it is harder to breath and one is more addicted.. By this time it is more difficult for a man to get an erection due to the affects of micro circulation. Soon comes more and more bouts with bronchitis , chest tightness and restricted air flow and more difficulty in walking up stairs then more difficulty in just walking . By now it is almost impossible to get an erection , but that should not matter because smoking lowers your testosterone and thus your desire and who would want to be next to someone coughing up wads of green slime anyways and look at the yellow teeth. Cancer is usually just down the road at this point . Some are happy to have the cancer just to know that they will soon be away from the nightmare.. We usually have to cut a whole in the trachea to stick the suction catheter in to clear away the green and yellow mucous while the smoker is red in the face and gagging. You do not need to worry as you have a few more years or your could just stop and bypass this insanity. It is your choice.

Answer 5

Hi,

Great post! Quitting smoking was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and I thought I wasn't addicted!

Here's what I tried before finding success: hypnosis, those fake cigaretts, the nicotine patch, and group therapy....none worked.

I finally tried this HERBAL patch I bought 6 months ago on the net. They claim a 97% success rate. Well, it worked! They had a sweet deal which was a free 10 day trial for only $3.95 including shipping (it's regularly $53 for 10 days)!!

I don't know if they still have that deal, but it's worth a try.

http://www.alllsite.info/stop-smoking-free.php

Good Luck

Answer 6

I don't think anyone knows how long it will take a smoker to develop lung cancer.. I think that there are other health risks that will adversely impact a smoker's health before the cancer and that would be emphysema

Answer 7

There's no set time. You can never smoke AND then get lung cancer ie Dana Reeves. It's also possible to smoke and never get cancer of the lung, however you could get cancer of the throat instead.

Answer 8

Everyone has the cancer cells, it just takes a kick to start them up, smoke, and you will increase your chances of the kick-start 5 fold.I am sure your daughter and son in law are old enought to know the dangers,but as we all tend to think, "it will never happen to me"
It's not just lung cancer, try furring of the veins for a hart attack, shortness of breath, cancer of the throat,stained teeth, bad stinking breath, the list is endless.

Answer 9

I think that it can be possible depending on how long the person would live, but even it doesn't generates lung cancer it affects the lung which losses it normal functioning.
But depending on the person it can happen very quickly or it can take years.

Answer 10

It depends on the family history on cancer. But some people can smoke their whole lives and live to be over 100 yrs. old, while others are not as fortunate and get cancer, emphisyma(spelling?), etc. earlier on.