Female smoking multiplied by 2-5 the risk of cervical cancer

Female smoking greatly increases the risk of cancer of the cervix, multiplying it by a factor of 2 to 5, which remind doctors to this effect should be in itself a motivator to stop smoking women.
Present national Dating Women and Tobacco, organized by the Association Bordeaux perinatal prevention, research, information (APPRIs, Lille), the College of Gynecologists Bordeaux and South-West, the French and European Network of hospitals and maternity without tobacco and Aquitaine Perinatal Network, the Hoche Professor Claude and Claudine Mathieu (Hôpital Saint-André, CHU Bordeaux) recalled the recent data on the role of tobacco in women's cancers.

In cancer of the cervix, the analysis of the scientific literature is unambiguous and clearly shows a significant increase in the risk of developing this disease in smokers. This increase varies by a factor of 2-5 depending on the study.
There would be a dose effect, moderate smoking multiplying by 3 the risk of high-grade dysplasia, the heavy smoking (> 1 pack per day) multiplied by 4.

Recently, some authors have shown that passive smoking also pose a risk of occurrence of intraepithelial lesions of the cervix, which in a third of cases are high grade. Smoking cessation may, however regression of dysplastic lesions.
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In contrast, tobacco has a protective effect against the risk of endometrial decancer, it halves, probably through its anti-estrogenic effect and the trend to earlier menopause in smoking patients, doctors have reported.

Regarding breast cancer, the data are contradictory and, at present, no causal link between smoking and breast cancer has not been established. The most recent studies show a slight increased risk of breast cancer in smokers, but the risk appears to be related to many factors (intensity and duration of smoking, age at first cigarette, alcohol ...).

In any event, "the existence of the aggravating effect on the cervix and proven causal role of smoking in lung cancer alone suffice to implement preventive actions and awareness of the smoking cessation in our society in the context of public health, "say the doctors who" potentially neutral or beneficial effects of tobacco are insufficient compared to increases their risk further. "