Tobacco-Related Cancers
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the
United States for both men and women. (Source: Cancer
Facts & Figures 2012)
- Lung cancer is the most preventable form of cancer death
in our society. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2012)
- Lung cancer estimates for 2012 (Source: Cancer Facts
& Figures 2012):
- New cases of lung
cancer: 226,160
Males: 116,470
Females: 109,690
- Deaths from lung cancer:
160,340
Males: 87,750
Females: 72,590
- Besides lung cancer, tobacco use also increases the risk
for cancers of the mouth, lips, nasal cavity (nose) and
sinuses, larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), esophagus
(swallowing tube), stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder,
uterus, cervix, colon/rectum, ovary (mucinous), and acute
myeloid leukemia. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2012)
- In the United States, tobacco use is responsible for
nearly 1 in 5 deaths; this equals about 443,000 early deaths
each year. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2012)
- Tobacco use accounts for at least 30% of all cancer
deaths and 80% of lung cancer deaths. (Source: Cancer
Facts & Figures 2012)
- Cigarette use has had a dramatic decline since the
release of the first US Surgeon General's Report on Smoking
and Health in 1964. Even so, about 22% of men and 17% of
women still smoked cigarettes in 2010, with almost 80% of
these people smoking daily. (Source: CDC Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report, 9/10/10)
- Cigarette smoking among adults age 18 and older went
down 50% between 1965 and 2009 - from 42% to 21% - but
nearly 47 million Americans still smoke. (Source: CDC
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 9/10/10)
- Cigars contain many of the same carcinogens
(cancer-causing substances) found in cigarettes. Between
1997 and 2007, sales of little cigars had increased by 240%,
while large cigar sales decreased by 6%. Cigar smoking
causes cancers of the lung, mouth, throat, larynx (voice
box), esophagus (swallowing tube), and probably the
pancreas. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2012)
- Little cigars are about the same size and shape as
cigarettes, come in packs of 20, but unlike cigarettes, they
can be candy or fruit flavored. In most states, they cost
much less than cigarettes, making them affordable to youth.
A 2009 CDC survey found that about 27% of 12th grade boys
and about 10% of the 12th grade girls had smoked cigars in
the past 30 days. (Sources: Cancer Facts & Figures 2011;
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Surveillance Summary, 6/4/10)
- In 1997, nearly half (48%) of male high school students
and more than one-third (36%) of female students reported
using some form of tobacco - cigarettes, cigars, or
smokeless tobacco products - in the past month. The
percentages went down to 30% for male students and 22% for
female students in 2009. But among 12th graders, 40% of the
boys and 26% of the girls had used tobacco in the past
month. (Sources: Cancer Facts & Figures 2010; CDC
Morbidity and Mortality Surveillance Summary, 6/4/10)
- Each year, about 3,400 non-smoking adults die of lung
cancer as a result of breathing secondhand smoke. Each year
secondhand smoke also causes about 46,000 deaths from heart
disease in people who are not current smokers. (Source:
Cancer Facts & Figures 2012)
- Among adults age 18 and older, national data from 2009
showed 7% of men and less than 1% of women were current
users of smokeless tobacco. Nationwide, about 15% of US male
high school students and more than 2% of female high school
students were using chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip in 2009.
(Sources: Cancer Facts & Figures 2011; CDC
Morbidity and Mortality Surveillance Summary, 6/4/10)
- Smokeless tobacco products are a major source of
cancer-causing nitrosamines and a known cause of human
cancer. They increase the risk of developing cancer of the
mouth and throat, esophagus (swallowing tube), and pancreas.
(Source: Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts
and Figures 2010)
- Smokeless tobacco products are less lethal but are not a
safe alternative to smoking. Using smokeless tobacco can
lead to nicotine addiction. Use of tobacco in any form harms
health. (Source: Cancer Prevention & Early
Detection Facts and Figures 2010)
- Between 2000 and 2004, smoking caused more than $193
billion in annual health-related costs in the United States,
including smoking-attributable medical costs and
productivity losses. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2012)
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