New Jersey man becomes world's first documented cancer case tied to habit that affects 13million

A New Jersey man has died from an aggressive lung cancer that doctors say may have been caused by e-cigarettes — in what is thought to be the first case of its kind.

The 51-year-old patient, who has not been named, had vaped for more than a decade after giving up traditional cigarettes in 2009.

He sought medical help in 2020 after suffering chest pain, shortness of breath, weight loss, and coughing up blood.

In his left lung, doctors discovered a tumor about the size of a pack of cards. He had a cancer normally associated with heavy tobacco use.

Yet his last chest scan just two years earlier had been completely clear, leading his medical team to believe vaping may have played a role.

Because the tumor had spread into the tissue surrounding his heart, surgery was ruled out.

He began chemotherapy, but the disease progressed rapidly and he died just three months after his diagnosis.

His case, published in the American Journal of Case Reports, is thought to be the first to suggest a possible link between vaping and cancer in people.

Earlier studies had only demonstrated such associations in lab animals.

Doctors from AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, who treated him, wrote: 'While causality cannot be established, the case highlights a potential association between e-cigarette use and malignancy.

'Further research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of e-cigarettes and their possible role in lung cancer development and progression.'

Although there have been a handful of prior cancer cases involving people who vape, many of those patients were older and had long histories of smoking tobacco, making it difficult to isolate the effects of vaping alone.

Dr James Finigan, a pulmonologist who specializes in treating lung nodules and lung cancer, told the Daily Mail: 'Though the long term effects of vaping are still being studied, there is evidence that the risk of cancer is four fold higher in those who have vaped and smoked cigarettes compared to those who have only smoked cigarettes.'

The New Jersey patient had quit traditional cigarettes more than a decade earlier before turning to e-cigarettes and was relatively young, with a faster-than-expected clinical decline and no response to chemotherapy.

The team wrote: 'While definitive conclusions cannot be drawn, our patient's younger age, limited combustible tobacco smoking history, rapid tumor growth, lack of response to chemotherapy, and accelerated clinical decline raise the possibility of a distinct or more aggressive disease pattern.

'These differences prompt consideration of potential contributing factors, including the prolonged use of ENDS [electronic cigarettes].'

E-cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and a mixture of toxic chemicals.

When inhaled, this vapor can deliver harmful substances deep into the lungs, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and other volatile organic compounds known to cause cancer.

These substances can damage lung tissue and over time, this damage can lead to DNA mutations and inflammation which increase the risk of cancer.

In this case, the patient's tumor occupied roughly two-thirds of his left lung by the time it was detected.

Tests revealed he had squamous cell carcinoma (SSC) — a form of cancer that accounts for roughly 20 to 30 percent of all lung cancer diagnoses in the US.

There are around 226,000 new cases annually, the vast majority of whom are men and long-term smokers.

SCC is often considered a 'silent killer' because it may not cause obvious symptoms in its early stages.

When signs do appear, they are frequently mistaken for less serious conditions — such as allergies, bronchitis, or asthma.

If caught early, SCC has a five-year survival rate of around 50 percent. But once it spreads beyond the lungs, that figure drops to just seven percent.

The New Jersey patient was initially discharged after diagnosis, with plans to begin treatment on an outpatient basis.

But within two weeks, he returned to the hospital in severe pain. The tumor had grown so large it was compressing his airways and making it difficult to breathe.

Doctors inserted a stent to help open his lungs, and he was prescribed radiation and chemotherapy.

But the cancer continued to spread, and he died within two months.

The authors of the report are now calling for more research into the cancer risks associated with e-cigarette use, particularly as more long-term users age into the window when cancer typically appears.

They also suggest updating cancer screening criteria to include chronic vapers — especially those with more than 10 years of use.

'Early detection in this instance might have facilitated timely intervention and improved the clinical outcome,' the doctors wrote.

'Future research should investigate whether e-cigarette use is an emerging risk factor worth considering in lung cancer screening programs.'

Dr Finigan added: 'Identifying lung cancer early, either through screening or through appropriately identifying and managing incidentally identified lung nodules, is the most effective way to reduce overall lung cancer mortality.'

An estimated 16 million American adults — about 6.5 percent of the U.S. population — currently use e-cigarettes.

The highest rates are seen in young adults aged 18 to 24, with more than 15 percent in that group reporting regular use.

Among children, about 1.6 million middle and high school students still vape, though usage has declined since its peak in 2019.