Smokers in 60s who kick habit still reduce cancer risk
Thursday May 14 2009
SMOKERS who quit later in life still have time to reduce their lung cancer risk, a top expert said yesterday.
It is never too late to stop smoking -- even for those who wait until they are in their 60s to kick the habit, an international cancer conference in Dublin was told.
Professor Tim Eisen, of Cambridge University, is examining if certain smokers' genetic make-up leaves them more susceptible to lung cancer.
He said while the best advice was to avoid cigarettes completely, people who currently smoke should not take the fatalistic attitude that "the damage is already done".
People who stop at 60 years of age reduce the risk of developing lung cancer quickly and quite profoundly, he added.
The benefits to people who quit earlier in life are better again, he told the gathering of experts at the seventh annual international cancer conference in St James's Hospital.
A 30-year-old who stops smoking reduces their risk to the same level as someone who has never smoked.
His message was welcomed by cancer specialist Dr Ken O'Byrne, of St James's Hospital, who treats lung cancer patients, and Dr Connor Keane, a Mater Hospital pathologist, who said too many smokers believed the damage was done and there was little point in quitting.
Dr O'Byrne said: "Even if you stop at 60, you reduce your risk by a third, and if you stop at 50 years you reduce it by a half. At 60, you are also reducing your risk of heart disease. More than 50pc of people who continue to smoke will die of smoking-related disease."
Preventing
Prof Eisen also outlined research in trying to identify genes which increase the likelihood of a smoker developing lung cancer. This could ultimately lead to new ways of preventing the disease.
Prof Mark Lawler, conference organiser, also welcomed findings from Belgian researchers showing that it is now possible to identify which bowel cancer patients will benefit from certain drugs, based on their genetic profile.
He added: "This is a very important advance which will have real benefits for patients with bowel cancer in Ireland. It means that we can give the appropriate combination of drugs to those who will benefit most, leading to increased cure rates."
Herbie Hewell, professor of therapeutics at the University of Newcastle, said we were now entering a "critical phase of cancer research".
He added: "This is labelled by some commentators as the Golden Age of cancer research. We are now translating the knowledge of science into new diagnostic tools and, critically, we are developing new drugs which can target the biology of the disease."
- Eilish O'Regan
