Smoking induced atherosclerosis in cancers

Background: Strong associations between smoking and systemic atherosclerosis and cancers are well documented. Methods: Consecutive female and males with coronary heart disease (CHD) were studied. Results: Study included 1,620 females and 1,240 males. Prevalences of CHD were similar in both sexes (3.8% versus 4.4%, respectively, p>0.05). Mean ages of CHD cases were 61.5 versus 63.5 years in both sexes, respectively (p>0.05). Smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were significantly higher in males with CHD (54.5% versus 9.6%, p<0.001 and 18.1% versus 6.4%, p<0.05, respectively). On the other hand, body mass index and white coat hypertension were higher in female patients (29.7 versus 28.3 kg/m(2) and 30.6% versus 23.6%) but differences were nonsignificant (p>0.05 for both) probably due to small sample sizes. Whereas low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride were higher in females with CHD, significantly (132.6 versus 115.6 mg/dL, p=0.008 and 250.3 versus 150.1 mg/dL, p=0.002, respectively). Similarly, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were also higher in females, significantly (58.0% versus 30.9%, p<0.001 and 51.6% versus 38.1%, p<0.05, respectively). Conclusion: Aging alone may be the most significant disease of human being, and probably systemic atherosclerosis is the major cause of it. Smoking and excess weight may be the major causes of the systemic atherosclerotic process, and they come with similar degree of clinical severity. Although the well known mutagenic effects of smoking, its role in cancers may also be related with the systemic atherosclerotic process that immune cells can not eradicate cancer cells due to insufficient blood supply, effectively.