Increased Cancer Risk for Individuals who Smoke right after They Wake Up

In the journal Cancer, researchers from Pennn State College of Medicine in Hershey reported that the risk of developing lung, as well as head and neck cancers is fairly higher in smokers who puff-up within 30 min of waking up in the morning than in those who wait for more than an hour. The authors added that individuals with a considerably high cancer risk could be identified with the help of the study findings, and targeted smoking cessation interventions could prove beneficial in such people.

Although it is well established and widely accepted that an individual’s risk of developing various kinds of cancer is catapulted with cigarette smoking, some smokers take ill while others do not. Joshua Muscat, PhD and team embarked upon evaluating the association between severe nicotine addiction, and head and neck cancers. Severe nicotine addiction is characterized by the time taken by smokers to light up their first cigarette as soon as they wake up, irrespective of the frequency and duration of smoking.

Study 1: Lung Cancer

The study included 4,775 lung cancer patients and 2,835 non-lung cancer people, all of whom were regular smokers.
The researchers compared smokers who puffed-up within 60 min of waking up with those who smoked 60 min after waking up.

• Smokers who puffed up within 31 to 60 min of waking up were at a 1.31 times higher risk of developing lung cancer
• Smokers who puffed up within 30 min of waking up were at a 1.79 times higher risk of developing lung cancer

Study 2: Head and neck cancer

The study involved 1,055 head and neck cancer patients, and 795 non-cancer individuals, all of whom had a cigarette smoking history.

The researchers compared smokers who puffed-up within 60 min of waking up with those who smoked 60 min after waking up.

• Smokers who puffed up within 31 to 60 min of waking up were at a 1.42 times higher risk of developing head and neck cancer.
• Smokers who puffed up within 30 min of waking up were at a 1.59 times higher risk of developing head and neck cancer.

Based on the findings of the study, the researchers said that smoking immediately after waking up is associated with a higher cancer risk.

Dr. Muscat said: “These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more. It may be a combination of genetic and personal factors that cause a higher dependence to nicotine.”

The authors concluded that targeted smoking cessation programs could prove beneficial for smokers who puffed up immediately after waking up.