Why does smoking cause cancer?

Cancer is accelerated growth of cells

Like, what do carcinogens actually do?

When I google the question, all I get are a bunch of studies that link the two variables, but I don't actually understand the physical process that is happening

Off the top of my head, carcinogens damage DNA and increase the risk that apoptosis (the planned death of cells) won't happen.

So, it's like giving your lungs extra UV radiation?

I can live with that explanation

In the sense that both damage DNA, yes.

There are probably other reasons for cancer, but I think that's the main one: the lack or failure of proper apoptosis, typically due to some defect within the cell, like damage to DNA.

Also, I think I understand why cancer patients are more likely to get cancer again, even if you have removed all of the cancerous cells

because it sounds like there are generally multiple mutations that need to happen to make a cell cancerous

and so, if a cell has mutations ABCD, then it is cancerous, but if it has ABD, then it isn't

but all it takes is a single mutation now, and we're back to all of ABCD

That and/or damage that occurs to one cell probably happened to cells around it too.

Also consider how the two populations most likely to suffer from cancer are the very young (because rapid growth is normal) and the very old (because of accumulated damage).

I didn't realize it was more common among the very young

I mean, it makes sense

but I had never heard that before

It definitely is as a percentage, if nothing else.

Causes of death by proportion. Note the red bit - that's cancer.

I saw this website (where the above graphic comes from) a while ago and I still think it presents the data very nicely. flowingdata.com/2016/01/05/causes-of-death

> So while the percentage for cancer decreases with age, it doesn’t necessarily mean that people grow impervious. It’s much more likely that with age comes higher susceptibility to other diseases.

Oct is the GIVE month at Microsoft. Basically, it's a month were there are tons of events focused on giving to charities, etc. On of the things they do is an Auction (where the money goes to a charity of your choice)

Anyways, I bring this up, as I found an awesome item on the auction: They get to dress up as Clippy for New Employee Orientation (the first day for all employees)

One other that should appeal to people here: There's an item to climb the Space Needle Spire

@NathanMerrill That sounds tiring, terrifying, and really cool.

I've stood at the base of the Needle so I have some idea of how tall it is. :P