Carcinogenesis associated with tobacco smoke and prospects for using alternative nicotine delivery systems in cancer prevention

As a result of the study involving the analysis of the literature data and our own experimental results, it has been shown that modern nicotine delivery systems, alternative to conventional cigarettes (ANDS), indeed exhibit a strong potential in the preventing cancer and other diseases characteristic of smokers. Diverse ANDS are the tools that allow a smoker without psychological stress to reduce risks to a health caused by negative influence of cigarette smoke. However, the methodology of using ANDS is still not sufficiently developed and, in fact, does not take into account the individual needs and physiological risks for each smoker, so the effectiveness of ANDS still raises questions. All contemporary ANDS areconventionally divided into three groups:

1) tobacco-free smoking simulators (tobacco-free and nicotine-free electronic cigarettes),

2) non-inhalation nicotine delivery systems (plasters, chewing gums, nicpacks, snus) and

3) systems combining smoking simulation and nicotine delivery (electronic cigarettes and tobacco heating systems, THS).

Our studies have demonstrated that the preferred strategy for quitting smoking and minimizing biological risks pertains to a combination of using systems from the first and second groups, and particularly, a combination of nicotine-free electronic cigarettes and nicotine packs of oral fixation. According to preliminary estimates based on ongoing preclinical trials, nicpacks with reasonable nicotine content are one of the safest and most effective forms of nicotine delivery.