Lung Cancer, Smoking vs. Vaping

Science:

Lung cancer is a tumor, in which cells keep growing in tissues of the lung. There are two types of cancer: small-cell lung carcinoma and non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Small-cell lung carcinoma is a malignant cancer and non-small-cell lung carcinoma is insensitive to chemotherapy. The main cause of lung cancer is due to tobacco smoking for a long time. Treatment depends on the cancer stage, which is a degree of spread. Stage I is cancer that did not spread to other organs and stage IV (the highest level) is cancer that spread to other organs. Non-small-cell lung carcinoma is usually treated with a surgery and small-cell lung carcinoma is treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Vaping is inhaling and exhaling the vapor. This vapor is produced by an electronic cigarette. According to Student Science website, Vaping May Threaten Brain, Immunity and More article states, “The scientists exposed pregnant mice to e-cig vapors. Then, once the pups were born, they too got exposed for a month. That is when mice reach young-adulthood. The animals breathed in vapors at concentrations scaled to be similar to what a vaping person might encounter. Then Zelikoff’s group tracked the activity of genes in the animals’ frontal cortex. This brain region is associated with planning and using inputs from the senses (like sight, smell and sound) to understand their environment.”Even though many people think vaping is better for them, it can still cause many damages to the body. Vaping can also cause a respiratory disease called a ‘popcorn lung’, which can destroy the airways of lungs, where the scar tissues gather and delay an airflow. The treatment for people with this disease, which just started developing, can use steroids, but people with a severe disease have a major treatment such as lung transplants.

Society:

Nowadays many people smoke cigarettes and vape. Many people know lung cancer can be one of the side effects of smoking, but many teens do not know many specifics about it. Smoking cigarettes is the main cause of lung cancer, which ends up being about 80-90% lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer also has a lower survival rate, than other type of cancer. People who smoke and vape are the most impacted, but people who are exposed to secondhand smoke somewhere else are impacted as well. People who do not smoke have about 20-30% of chance to develop lung cancer. Being exposed to different chemicals or gases, such as radon gas, can also cause lung cancer. Smoking cigarettes and vaping affects society in a negative manner because it causes lung cancer and people will not live healthy. People who vape can think of vaping as a way to help them quit smoking completely. There are levels of nicotine that they can control and lower its level to quit, but it is not easy. There is more research being done about vaping because scientists are not sure how bad it is for people, but they do know it contains chemicals, which harm the lungs.

Self:

I personally am interested in oncology. My grandfather was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in the winter of 2013 and was given six months to live. I always went back to Poland for the summer, which gave me an opportunity to take care of him, while my grandmother was still working. It was not easy to watch him go through it, but I am happy I got to take care of him. I saw how cancer changed his body and his brain/ thinking. He passed away while I was in Poland. In September of 2013 I had an internship at CHOP on cancer research, where I examined single nucleotide variations in germline patient DNA with neuroblastoma. In the summer of 2014 my uncle was also diagnosed with lung cancer. I went to Poland in the summer of 2014 and took care of him. He passed away while I was there as well. Seeing my grandfather and my uncle go through chemotherapy and radiation made me realize how important it is to know the side effects of smoking and its consequences. My sister used to smoke cigarettes, but then she switched to vaping, which I still disagree with. We have a lot of conversations about vaping and how it is still not healthy for her. She believes vaping will help her quit smoking and switching from smoking to vaping is better, but in my opinion smoking cigarettes or vaping will never be good for anyone, since it can have many side effects. I am definitely not interested in smoking because all of the experience above showed me the side effects I do not want to go through. I think people should quit smoking and vaping to live a healthier life.

Link to presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G4QkkQ8SIMDGJi9mOYE6WO9VXLZgirEAMzhFJPaw6bM/edit#slide=id.p

References:

Smoking hits all-time low, but not for these three groups. (2015, November 19). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151119112413.htm.

What are the effects of smoking on the lungs? (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://www.quit.org.au/about/frequently-asked-questions/how-does-smoking-affect-my-body/smoking-and-the-lungs.html.

Effects of Smoking on Your Health. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/health-effects/smoking-health/.

Why Smoking Is Bad For You. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://www.freddyfit.co.uk/kids/articles/smoking.php.

Smoking: Do you really know the risks? (2015, March 27). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/QuitSmoking/QuittingSmoking/Smoking-Do-you-really-know-the-risks_UCM_322718_Article.jsp#.Vvk8ARIrKCQ.

Raloff, J. (2016, February 14). Vaping may threaten brain, immunity and more. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from https://student.societyforscience.org/article/vaping-may-threaten-brain-immunity-and-more.

Gravitz, L. (2016, February 10). Teen data find vapers often become smokers. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from https://student.societyforscience.org/article/teen-data-find-vapers-often-become-smokers.

Tuason, C. (2016, January 18). Chemicals Used For Vaping Causes Popcorn Lung, Experts Suggest. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://www.youthhealthmag.com/articles/32900/20160118/popcorn-lung-vaping.htm.

Roeder, A. (2015, December 08). Chemical flavorings found in e-cigarettes linked to lung disease. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/12/chemical-flavorings-found-in-e-cigarettes-linked-to-lung-disease/.

Lungs After Smoking For 2 Years Photo [Digital image]. (2014, October 31). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://javamed.info/cancer/lungs-after-smoking-for-2-years-photo.html.

D. (2015, March 23). Quit Smoking [Digital image]. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from https://l19941123.wordpress.com/author/d3anl/.