Urine Test Could Gauge Smokers Lung Cancer Risk

Humans can often be stubborn, & ignorant. Smoking has short & long term health risks, yet we continue to light up the "ole cancer stick." Often, nothing can make us stop this nasty habit, believing it "won't happen to me."

Recently, evidence was produced at the American Association for Cancer Research that a warning test may be available in the next few years to be used as a "kick in the pants" for smokers.

Research has shown that when a risk of lung cancer is high, a person's urine shows an elevated percentage of 2 different chemicals.

Lung cancer is the most deadly of all tumors, with more than 215,020 new diagnosis being made in 2008. There are approximately 60 carcinogens found in tobacco smoke; identifying the byproducts or metabolites may help researchers determine which may lead to tumors.

Smokers with an advanced level of the metabolite NNAL have been recognized as having 2 times the likelihood of contracting lung cancer.

Cotinine has
also been recognized as a huge indicator of risk. It is a nicotine byproduct, & the presence of this metabolite in smokers has shown them to have 3 times the risk, as compared to smokers with lower levels.

The unfortunate patient who has elevated levels of both cotinine & NNAL are 8.5 times more destined to have lung cancer, than those smokers with lower levels of the two.

It has been found that these 2 factors mean more danger for smokers than even daily consumption, or length of smoking time.

What makes one smoker more likely to have concentrated levels of these byproducts than another one? No one knows. Metabolic systems, heredity and genes all play a definitive part.

Researchers under no circumstances want this to be a license for some smokers to continue their nasty habit even though their levels of the 2 byproducts may be low. Smoking has no value, it only has detriments for the body and for those inhaling their secondary smoke. Hopefully, the urine test, in the future, will provide a needed wake up call and save lives.