Smoking and cancer

Smoking causes at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths yearly. In addition, smoking causes 87 percent of all lung cancers and is associated with cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, pancreas, uterine cervix, kidney, and bladder.

All forms of tobacco use, not just smoking, are related to cancer. Smokeless tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes or cigars. Even smokeless tobacco can cause cancerous and non- cancerous oral conditions and can lead to nicotine addiction.

There is no safe level of environmental tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke. Each year a significant number of nonsmoking adults die from lung cancer as a result of breathing secondhand smoke.

Does quitting smoking do any good? You bet it does! Stopping the exposure and use of tobacco reduces the risk of developing lung and other cancers. The risk decreases right away and continues to decrease each year. There is also a marked decrease in respiratory diseases, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. People who quit smoking, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke. Smokers who quit before age 50 cut their risk of dying within the next 15 years by 50 percent compared with those who continue to smoke.

For information on how to stop the use of tobacco, contact the UI Health Care Cancer Information Service at 800-237-1225 or 319-356-3000 for more information about this topic.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIL File CANC4282.RF2 VRS# 6458 Data Version 7.0 Copyright 1999, 2002 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.