Cigarette smoking may raise the odds of acquiring colorectal cancer in both men and women.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate whether an association exists between cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer risk. Researchers reviewed studies conducted between 1950 and 2008 that examined the effect of cigarette smoking on colorectal cancer risk.

The team of researchers found out that current and former smokers had higher chances of developing colorectal cancer than never smokers. The cancer-promoting effect of cigarettes was found to be greater in men than in women and stronger in the rectum than in the colon. According to this study, the more the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the longer the years of smoking, the greater the odds of having colorectal cancer. The findings of this meta-analysis reveal that cigarette smoking may increase an individual's susceptibility to colorectal cancer.