Smoking increases the risk of getting colon cancer by about 18 percent and the risk of dying from the disease by about 25 percent, a new Italian research reveals.

Colorectal cancer, which includes cancer of the colon (large intestine) or rectum, is the third most common cancer in men and women. Screening for colon cancer is recommended for everyone older than 50 years and especially for individuals who have significant risk factors such as age (those older than 50 years are more exposed to the disease), family history, personal medical history and lifestyle (smoking, heavy alcohol use, inactivity, obesity). Colorectal cancer incidence is 14 times higher in adults 50 and older than in people under 50. Many individuals with colon cancer have no symptoms until the disease spreads to other organs. Early detection is a key element to defeat colon cancer, as colorectal cancer may be successfully treated and often cured.

To clarify the association between tobacco and colorectal cancer, Italian researchers have performed a meta-analysis of observational studies considering both incidence and mortality.

The researchers found that smoking increased the risk of death from colorectal cancer by 25 percent.

“People should be aware that smoking increases the risk of cancer not only in organs where there is direct contact with tobacco-related carcinogens, such as lung, oropharynx, larynx and upper digestive tract, but also in organs where exposure to tobacco degradation products is indirect, such as the pancreas, kidney, bladder, cervix, colon and rectum,” said the study’s lead author, Edoardo Botteri, a biostatistician in the division of epidemiology and biostatistics at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy.

There are some easy steps Americans can do in order to prevent cancer: avoid smoking, whether it be actual smoking or secondhand smoke, limit alcohol intake, exercise for cancer prevention, be sure to keep up to regular screening tests.

An estimated 2.4 million cases of tobacco related cancers were reported in the U.S. from 1999 to 2004 and the percentage of people classed as highly nicotine dependent has risen by 32 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lung and bronchial cancers represented about 50 percent of the diagnoses, according to the CDC. Smokers are also susceptible of developing cancers of the stomach, larynx, mouth and pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder and kidney. The CDC says men who smoke are 22 times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers. Women who smoke are 12 times more likely to die from the disease.

Smoking also has been linked to cardiovascular diseases. Studies show an increased risk of death from stroke, aneurysms, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular illnesses.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 148,810 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year and 49,960 people will die of the disease. A recent study has concluded that colonoscopies may prevent about 60 to 70 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer.