Smokers increase risk of squamous cell carcinoma

Nottingham, England - Smokers face a 50 percent higher risk for contracting squamous cell carcinoma than do nonsmokers, according to new research.

Researchers with the University of Nottingham pooled data from six studies that showed a “clear and consistent” association between tobacco smoking and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (odds ratio, 1.52, 95 percent confidence interval 1.15 to 2.01), even among former smokers, MedPage Today reports.

The study, published online in the Archives of Dermatology, did not show an association between smoking and nonmelanoma skin cancer or basal cell carcinoma (OR, 0.95, 95 percent CI 0.82 to 1.09).

“This study highlights the importance for clinicians to actively survey high-risk patients, including current smokers, to identify early skin cancers, since early diagnosis can improve prognosis because early lesions are simpler to treat compared with larger or neglected lesions,” the study authors wrote.

According to MedPage Today, previous studies have been inconclusive in establishing a link between smoking and skin cancer.

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