How can chewing tobacco cause cancer

The nicotine is released from the tobacco as the user "chews. Although chewing tobacco and snuff are considered smokeless tobacco products, harmful chemicals including nicotine are ingested. More than 28 cancer-causing chemicals have been found in smokeless tobacco. Chewing tobacco and snuff can cause cancer in the cheek, gums, and lips. Just as with a pipe, cancer often occurs where the tobacco is held in the mouth. Cancer caused by smokeless tobacco often begins as leukoplakia, with a whitish patch that develops inside the mouth or throat.

Or the cancer may erythroplakia. With this condition, a red, raised patch develops inside the mouth. It's also linked to esophageal and pancreatic cancers. Cigars became a trend in the s, attracting the young and the old. Many people think cigars are less harmful to their health. But cigars actually pose the same risk for oral cancer as cigarettes do. Many cigar smokers don't inhale. But their risk for oral, throat, and esophageal cancers is the same as for cigarette smokers.

Consider these facts:. People addicted to nicotine need more of it to get the same feeling as the first time. Many people still believe that smokeless tobacco is a safer alternative to smoking, but this isn't true. Using smokeless tobacco is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes, and can cause serious damage to the body.

Oral cancer cancer of the mouth is the cancer most often linked to smokeless tobacco use. But users also can get cancer in the stomach, the throat, and the bladder because the chemicals from the tobacco get into their digestive systems through their spit. In the most severe cases, problems caused by smokeless tobacco can lead to permanent disfigurement, such as the loss of teeth and even bones in the face. Smokeless tobacco also causes bad breath, yellowish-brown stains on the teeth, and mouth sores in most users.

Quitting is hard, and using smokeless tobacco while trying to quit is common. But don't give up. Using smokeless products can cause serious health problems.

If you do use them, quit. Addiction to Smokeless Tobacco. Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer.

Smokeless Tobacco and Oral Disease. Smokeless tobacco can cause white or gray patches inside the mouth leukoplakia that can lead to cancer. Reproductive and Developmental Risks. Using smokeless tobacco during pregnancy can increase the risk for early delivery and stillbirth.

Other Risks. Using smokeless tobacco increases the risk for death from heart disease and stroke. World Health Organization. Department of Health and Human Services.