Conflicting Studies - does nicotine promote tumor growth..

March 6, 2011 - Back August 2010 researchers from Taipei Medical University looked looked at both breast cancer cells and normal cells to see if nicotine promoted tumour growth at a cellular level. It is the first time nicotine has been implicated as one of the chemicals in cigarettes that can trigger the development of breast cancer. Dr Yuan-Soon Ho and his team found that when normal cells were treated with nicotine in the laboratory it promoted the development of cancer characteristics. Likewise reducing the level of nicotine inhibited tumour growth. The findings, published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, could be a major blow to makers of nicotine-based products that help smokers to quit. The research could have a negative impact on companies that make nicotine gum, patches and electronic cigarettes that are promoted as a 'healthy alternative' for smokers. (PAPER: Nicotine in cigarettes linked to breast cancer..)



Now we found- nicotine at doses similar to those found in most nicotine replacements therapies did not increase lung cancer tumor incidence, frequency or size, according to results of a mouse study presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6.“If you take our data and combine it with epidemiological data from Europe, even in people who quit smoking and maintain the use of nicotine replacement therapy for months or years, there does not appear to be increased lung cancer incidence,” said Phillip A. Dennis, M.D., Ph.D., senior investigator at the medical oncology branch of the National Cancer Institute. “This suggests that nicotine replacement therapy is probably safe and is certainly safer than smoking.” Nicotine Does Not Promote Lung Cancer Growth in Mouse ModelsAmerican Association of Cancer Research, 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6. 4/4/201.

Nicotine Promotes Growth Of Tumors Already Established By Tobacco Carcinogens