The effect of smoking on cancer-a review

Smoking is a major cause for several types of cancer. Smoking increases the risk of cancers of the lungs, bladder, cervix, kidney, larynx (voice box), pharynx (upper throat), nose, mouth, oesophagus (foodpipe), pancreas, stomach, liver and some types of leukaemia. And smokers are 7 times more likely to die of these cancer than non-smokers. Scientists have identified about 4,000 different chemicals in tobacco smoke. Chemicals such as nitrosamines, benzo(a)pyrene, benzene, acrolein, cadmium, and polonium-210 can damage DNA.Within this review article we will focus on the correlation between smoking and oxidative stress and the role of smoking in increasing the risk of gastric cancer.