Smoking as an independent risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

Cigarette smoking may facilitate the onset of liver cancer.

​This study assessed the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with cigarette smoking. Researchers followed more than 350 persons recruited from the Singapore Chinese Health Study, monitoring their smoking habits and prevalence of hepatocellular (liver) cancer.

Researchers discovered that cigarette smoking promoted the formation and spread of cancerous cells and tumors in the liver. "Our findings strongly implicate tobacco smoke as a causal factor of HCC development," concluded the authors.