The odds of developing oral cancer increase with the frequency and duration of use of tobacco and alcohol, and with combined use of the two. The average duration of symptoms is usually around four to five months, ranging from a few weeks up to one year. The majority of squamous cell carcinomas grow rather slowly. Occasionally however, such cancers behave in a very aggressive way, doubling in size in just a few days or a week. Reduced mobility of the tongue may be another symptom.
Lung facts Many smokers die each year from debilitating lung conditions other than lung cancer.
83 per cent of deaths from emphysema and bronchitis in England are smoking related. Heart Disease Smoking makes the heart beat faster, raises blood pressure and increases the risk of hypertension and clogged arteries. Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to have a sudden cardiac arrest and also twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease. In fact, one in six deaths in the UK that are caused by heart disease happened because the victim was a smoker. Circulatory Diseases Smoking can damage blood vessel walls, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the extremities.