A dividend more precious than money - good health. Recently an article by Dehertog in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology evaluated the risks of skin cancer and smoking. Smoking is well-known to be associated with a variety cancers in multiple sites including the head and neck, lung, bladder, kidney, esophagus, cervix, and elsewhere. For over 15 years studies have suggested that there are greater risks of developing squamous cell carcinomas of the skin in smokers than in non-smokers. Other studies even reported that smokers have a higher rate of metastases with melanoma than non-smokers.
Metastases are nodules of cancer that have moved away from the primary or initial site.
Usually they spread into the blood stream to hit vital organs such as the liver, lung and brain. No site is immune to metastases from melanoma. The most important risk for development of skin cancers is skin exposure. Other factors, such as smoking are being studied and are apparently an issue. A Dutch skin cancer study was commenced in 1997 in Leiden.