> a full 1/3 of lifelong smokers never develop any kind of cancer,

That's "true" in the sense that it's the CVD (Cardiovascular disease) and COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) that are way more likely to take them out first.

Lifetime Smoking History and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Cohort Study with 43 Years of Follow-Up

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4824471/

Sure, you absolutely can be 98 years old sucking back on a deathstick, just like you might find yourself screaming "suck it" as you take home that giant lottery cheque with some winnings.

Pachinko's a hell of a game .. but still the house wins.

[dead]