Overall, the abundance of toxins contained within cigarette smoke that is inhaled by the mother exerts a direct impact by altering the placental and fetal cell proliferation and differentiation.
For example, it has been proven that during exposure nicotine binds to receptors of the fetal cells through which developmentally important signaling occurs in many developing organs and tissues.
[5] Because the binding of these receptors is unanticipated by the regulated activity of the fetal cells it can be inferred that this is a disruption in the cellular process which can lead to detrimental effects such as the deregulation of vital signaling, expression, or repair.
In addition to receptor binding, it has also been proven that fetal tissues are suspected as "privileged targets of neoplastic changes" in light of the vast amount of cell proliferation and differentiation taking place.
In the event that proliferating cells become uncontrolled, by any measure, this mutated activity would certainly be characteristic of an increased risk in one's chances of developing cancer.