SYDNEY, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Nicotine-based vapes, or e-cigarettes, are likely to cause cancers of the lung and oral cavity, according to a comprehensive review led by Australian cancer researchers.
This carcinogenicity review argues vaping may cause cancer independently, beyond its role as a gateway to smoking, according to a statement from Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW) on Tuesday.
The multi-institutional team, led by UNSW Adjunct Professor Bernard Stewart, comprises pharmacists, epidemiologists, thoracic surgeons, and public health experts.
They analyzed clinical studies, animal experiments and lab data from 2017-2025 on e-cigarette chemicals, finding consistent evidence of DNA damage, oxidative stress, tissue inflammation and lung tumors in mice exposed to vape aerosols.
The team identified numerous carcinogenic compounds in e-cigarette aerosols, including volatile organic chemicals and metals released from heating coils, according to the study published in Carcinogenesis.
"Most of those who use e-cigarettes to quit smoking end up in 'dual-use-limbo', unable to shake off either habit," said the study's co-author, UNSW Associate Professor Freddy Sitas.
"What we do know from recent epidemiological evidence from the USA is that those who both vape and smoke are at an additional four-fold increased risk of developing lung cancer," Sitas said.
However, Stewart said the exact number of attributable cancer cases remains unclear. The qualitative review does not involve numerical estimates, awaiting long-term human data.
"E-cigarettes were introduced about 20 years ago. We should not wait another 80 years to decide what to do," Sitas said, urging regulators not to repeat cigarettes' century-long delay before smoking was officially recognized as a cause of lung cancer. ■
