Does Smoking Increase Cervical Cancer Risk?

QUESTION: With menopause upon me, with all its accompanying problems, I find
myself smoking more than usual. Naturally my doctor has told me this is bad
for me and he mentioned that the smoking will increase my chances of cervical
cancer. I've heard of smoking increasing the risk of lung cancer, but how can
it possibly affect the cervix? Please explain.
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ANSWER: Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of female deaths due to
cancer in the United States. Your doctor's warning is well founded. Studies
have found a definite link between an increased risk for the disease and
smoking. In one National Cancer Institute study, doctors found that women who
smoke more than 40 cigarettes a day, or have smoked for 40 years or more, are
more than twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop invasive squamous cell
cervical cancer. Women who smoke between ten and forty cigarettes daily also
had a higher than average rate of cervical cancer.
Interestingly, the doctors found the highest risks were associated with
recent smoking and the use of nonfilter cigarettes. Smokers should realize
that they are inhaling toxins and carcinogens that will travel through their
entire body, not just their respiratory tract, and that's why those who smoke
are at greater risk for many diseases. Maybe if I keep writing enough, people
will get the idea that smoking is really a health hazard, without much that
can be said about it of a positive nature.