January 22, 2021

Scientists discover link between nicotine and breast cancer metastasis

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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States, and cigarette smoking is associated with a higher incidence of breast cancer spread, or metastasis, lowering the survival rate by 33{58e281ace639831ddb6d8687333e7c2b02e87c7c548a0119c43312a5ff3c7894} at diagnosis.

While cigarette smoking’s link to is well-known, the role of nicotine, a non-carcinogenic chemical found in tobacco, in breast-to-lung metastasis is an area where more research is needed.

Now, scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have found that nicotine promotes the spread of cells into the lungs.

The study is published in the January