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

June 29th, 2009 | by The Doc |
ladyluck asked:


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

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  1. 14 Responses to “When you start smoking, how long will it take for you to develop lung cancer?”

  2. By frank4jesus89 on Jun 30, 2009 | Reply

    you get it the day you started

  3. By E B on Jul 3, 2009 | Reply

    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.

  4. By Debbie M on Jul 4, 2009 | Reply

    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

  5. By ozma on Jul 5, 2009 | Reply

    It depends on the age they started and the packs of cigarettes they consume. But they sure are a candidate if they don’t quit. And if they live with you, you could get lung cancer too,. because sometimes the one who smell it are most likely to get it than the ones using it.

  6. By Emma B on Jul 7, 2009 | Reply

    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.

  7. By Genny G on Jul 8, 2009 | Reply

    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.

  8. By volleyballz on Jul 9, 2009 | Reply

    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.

  9. By kim914 on Jul 13, 2009 | Reply

    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.

  10. By seneca on Jul 13, 2009 | Reply

    tell them the more time that passes the harder it is to quit,,the nictene patch did not work for me,,i try to quit several times unsucsessfully,,i dont have cancer yet,,but i got asthma,you can have other health rish associated with smoking not just cancer,stroke heart attack,,buy them patches for christmas maybe it work for them

  11. By SunFun on Jul 17, 2009 | Reply

    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!

  12. By jppd12689 on Jul 19, 2009 | Reply

    it is uncertain but it gives a chance of developing lung cancer. Solution- QUIT!!!!

  13. By Gregory L on Jul 19, 2009 | Reply

    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.

  14. By Kathy J on Jul 21, 2009 | Reply

    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.

    Good Luck

  15. By person_of_size on Jul 23, 2009 | Reply

    never. donnt listen to the govenment. everyone is my family smokes and they have all lived to at least 85. my grAMPA lived to 97 and smoked 4 packs a day since he was 10.

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