Smoking is bad for you? No way!

Recent studies have shown that patients with lung cancer have a better chance of surviving and responding to chemotherapy if they have never smoked cigarettes before. Lung cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers and victims rarely live longer than five years after being diagnosed. Even if cured, there is a good chance that another tumor will appear. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, many patients continue to smoke because they believe it will not have an effect on their recovery. Up until recently, there has been no concrete evidence to prove them wrong, but recently Anne S. Tsao, M.D. of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has looked over the records of over one thousand patients with non-small cell lung cancer and determined that patients who have never smoked before respond better to chemotherapy, had less disease progression while undergoing therapy, and displayed an overall greater survival rate. This is believed to be due to less genetic damage in non-smokers, being less susceptible to disease that would affect survival, and having better lung function. To some, it may be obvious that smoking can only make lung cancer worse, although many individuals cannot stop themselves. Hopefully these recent studies will make smokers more aware of their situation and how to take the necessary steps to recover.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060430003222.htm