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Smoking as a Secondary Risk Factor
Whether a patient has a cancer that is smoking-related or nonsmoking related,
he or she is at increased risk of developing a second cancer at the same or
another site, if smoking is not stopped. The risk of developing a second
cancer may persist for up to 20 years, even if the original cancer has been
successfully treated.
Patients with oral and pharyngeal cancers who smoke also have a high rate of
second primary cancers. The risk decreases significantly, however, after 5
years of not smoking.
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