Studies Find Gene Damage in Smokers

Smokers, even those who quit years ago, have damage to their genes that can lead to cancer, scientists say. Although many studies have shown that kicking the habit has immediate health effects, leading to a decreased risk of heart disease and cancer, it is also clear that smoking has permanent effects. “In this country now we have as many former smokers with lung cancer as current smokers,” Dr. Adi Gazdar of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston told reporters in Philadelphia. “The damage never goes away.”