Lung Cancer

Among young people, the short-term health effects of smoking include damage to the respiratory system, addiction to nicotine, and the associated risk of other drug use. Long-term health consequences of youth smoking are reinforced by the fact that most young people who smoke regularly continue to smoke throughout adulthood. (CDC. Preventing tobacco use among young people---A report of the Surgeon General. 1994, p. 15) Smoking hurts young people's physical fitness in terms of both performance and endurance---even …

…spreads and which organs are affected, symptoms can include pain, headaches, bleeding, weakness, bone fractures, or blood clots. Because of the large size of the lungs, cancer may grow for many years, undetected, without causing suspicion. In fact, lung cancer can even spread outside the lungs without causing any symptoms. Early diagnosis can also be difficult because one of the most common symptoms of lung cancer, a persistent cough, is often mistaken for chronic bronchitis.