Does smoking turn a benign cancer malignant?

It probably can.: There are many times when smoking, often in combination with alcohol, can cause tumors, and make tumors more malignant, like esophageal cancer and lung cancer. Passive, or second-hand smoking, can increase risk of cancers, like lung, breast, and renal. Smoking has been shown to be a promoter of many cancers like lung, anal, and pancreatic. It interferes with apoptosis or death of cancer cells.