Skip Navigation

Link to  the National Institutes of Health NIDA NEWS NIDA News RSS Feed
The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Keep Your Body Healthy
Go to the Home pageGo to the About Nida pageGo to the News pageGo to the Meetings & Events pageGo to the Funding pageGo to the Publications page
PhysiciansResearchersParents/TeachersStudents/Young AdultsEn Español Drugs of Abuse & Related Topics
NIDA Home > Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse

Cancer

PIcture of cancer

J. H. is a neck breather and lives in fear of drowning in the shower. Due to throat cancer, she has lost her larynx (voice box) and has to breathe through a hole in her throat called a stoma. She started smoking when she was 12-14 years old and had her surgery about 30 years ago. Her physical problems include greatly reduced ability to smell, the stoma, and the need to speak with an artificial larynx. She looked in a mirror after her surgery and thought, "I look like the bride of Frankenstein." She said, "I felt so ugly."

Source: www.art.unt.edu
Photo © Scott Camazine

Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of cancer in the U.S. Smoking cigarettes has been linked to cancer of the mouth, neck, stomach, and lung, among others. Smoking marijuana also exposes the lungs to carcinogens and can cause precancerous changes to the lungs similar to cigarette smoke.

 

Drugs that may cause cancer:


NIDA Home | Site Map | Search | FAQs | Accessibility | Privacy | FOIA (NIH) | Employment


National Institutes of Health logo_Department of Health and Human Services Logo The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Questions? See our Contact Information. Last updated on Thursday, September 4, 2008. The U.S. government's official web portal