PANCREATIC CANCER, SMOKING LINKED
Lung cancer, emphysema, nicotine-stained fingers and a hole in
your pocketbook. There are several reasons not to smoke, and MSU
researchers just added one more to the list.
James Trosko, along with a team of colleagues and students,
recently published a study that linked smoking to pancreatic
cancer. Research was collected for 37 years. . . .
After placing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, on the
pancreatic stem cells, Trosko found the culprit.
PAH chemicals mainly are found in cigarettes, but Trosko said
they also can be found in grilled meats and vegetables.
"We noticed that the chemicals induced the same biological
effects as other well-known tumor promoters," he said, adding
that PAHs don't initiate the cancer, but rather act as a
catalyst once the cancer is present. . . .
Since PAH chemicals are a promoter of the cancer, not an
initiator, people who quit smoking still have a chance to reduce
their risk, Trosko said.
