British researchers have found that people with melanoma, one of the most serious forms of skin cancer, could compromise their chances of survival if they smoke for a long time.
SMOKING CAN REDUCE THE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL ...
This study, carried out by a team from the University of Leeds and funded by Cancer Research UK, followed 703 melanoma patients by monitoring their immune cells and looking at genetic indicators of the body's immune response.
Their results, relayed by the journal Cancer Research, have shown that there is a link between smoking and the chances of surviving melanoma. Ultimately, smokers were 40% less likely to survive their cancer ten years after their first diagnosis than people who had never smoked.
Scientists believe that tobacco could directly affect the way the body reacts to cancerous melanoma cells, however, they add that their study can not say with certainty that tobacco is responsible for the lower survival rate.
« The immune system is like an orchestra, with multiple instruments. This study suggests that smoking may disrupt the way they function in unison, allowing 
some musicians continue to play but maybe in a more disorganized way“, Noted author Julia Newton-Bishop.
« As a result, smokers could still organize an immune response to challenge and destroy melanoma, but it appears that this response is less effective than in non-smokers, and smokers were less likely to survive. to their cancer. »
« Based on these results, quitting smoking should be highly recommended for people with melanoma. »
Previous studies had shown that cigarettes could have a negative effect on the immune system, however researchers had failed to exactly target the chemicals responsible for this effect.
Source : Midilibre.fr/
