There are a lot of things involved in the onset of cancer, but what it boils down to is the interaction of genes and environment. If you're pre-disposed to cancer (history in your family), especially cancers that can be caused by cigar smoke (mouth, esopageal, lung), your risk is obviously higher. That's not to say if you don't have a family history that you're not at risk. It just explains cases like George Burns that someone already mentioned. The guy must have had good genes.
There are two sides to the smoke vs cancer debate and each has very strong opinions of the other, so studies (especially epidemiological) can often be skewed. In other words, if you look hard enough for a correlation, you will find one. I have a familial history of cancer on my mother's mother's side, but nowhere else in my family. For this, I'm cautious but still enjoy my life while I'm here. I also don't have any children to live for, so that changes my outlook and lifestyle quite a bit.
Overall, you need to do what's right for you and your family. While you do need time for yourself to relax and unwind, you need to understand your wife's concern. There should be some happy medium that you can work out so that you can still have your time to yourself and she can feel comfortable with it.
I know a bit about cancer as I work in a lab for a company that produces research tools, mainly geared towards cancer research. If you have any questions, or just want to talk nerdy science stuff, feel free to pm me.
It is true though that most of the research is on cigarette smokers who inhale and are smoking daily. There is just no research out there really on someone who smokes say twice a week and does not inhale the smoke. So without the inhalation, the risk for lung issues goes down. At the same time there is also the risk for oral, esophogeal, etc. problems similare to a tobacco chewer. That said, virtually no research on someone doing it twice a week and not daily.
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There are two sides to the smoke vs cancer debate and each has very strong opinions of the other, so studies (especially epidemiological) can often be skewed. In other words, if you look hard enough for a correlation, you will find one. I have a familial history of cancer on my mother's mother's side, but nowhere else in my family. For this, I'm cautious but still enjoy my life while I'm here. I also don't have any children to live for, so that changes my outlook and lifestyle quite a bit.
Overall, you need to do what's right for you and your family. While you do need time for yourself to relax and unwind, you need to understand your wife's concern. There should be some happy medium that you can work out so that you can still have your time to yourself and she can feel comfortable with it.
I know a bit about cancer as I work in a lab for a company that produces research tools, mainly geared towards cancer research. If you have any questions, or just want to talk nerdy science stuff, feel free to pm me.