Risk of colorectal cancer associated with active smoking among female teachers.

​Women who are cigarette smokers may be more susceptible to colorectal cancer than their colleagues who are never smokers.

This study assessed the relationship between cigarette smoking and the prevalence of colorectal cancer in women in the United States. Researchers collated and analyzed data on the smoking habits and colorectal cancer hazard ratios of 122,264 women recruited from the California Teachers Study (CTS) cohort.

Researchers observed that women who were former and current smokers had higher chances of having colorectal cancer than their counterparts who were never smokers. According to this study, a 30% increase in colorectal cancer risk was associated with active smoking. This study adds to the growing body of literature describing a positive association between cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer development risk in women.