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Smoking Among Adults in the United States: Cancer
- Cancer is the second
leading cause of death and was among the first diseases causally linked to
smoking. (p. 39)
- Lung cancer is the leading
cause of cancer death, and cigarette smoking causes most cases. (p. 61)
- Compared to nonsmokers,
men who smoke are about 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer and
women who smoke are about 13 times more likely. Smoking causes about 90% of
lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80% in women. (p. 39)
- In 2003, an estimated
171,900 new cases of lung cancer occurred and approximately 157,200 people
died from lung cancer. (p. 42)
- The 2004 Surgeon Generals
report adds more evidence to previous conclusions that smoking causes
cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, lung, and bladder.
(pp. 42, 62, 63, 116, 166)
- Cancer-causing agents
(carcinogens) in tobacco smoke damage important genes that control the
growth of cells, causing them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too
rapidly. (p. 4445)
- Cigarette smoking is a
major cause of esophageal cancer in the
United States. Reductions in smoking and smokeless tobacco use could prevent
many of the approximately 12,300 new cases and 12,100 deaths from esophageal
cancer that occur annually. (p. 119)
- The combination of smoking
and alcohol consumption causes most laryngeal cancer cases. In 2003, an
estimated 3800 deaths occurred from laryngeal cancer. (p. 62)
- In 2003, an estimated
57,400 new cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed and an estimated 12,500
died from the disease. (p. 166)
- For smoking-attributable
cancers, the risk generally increases with the number of cigarettes smoked
and the number of years of smoking, and generally decreases after quitting
completely. (pp. 39, 42)
- Smoking cigarettes that
have a lower yield of tar does not substantially reduce the risk for lung
cancer. (p. 61)
- Cigarette smoking
increases the risk of developing mouth cancers. This risk also increases
among people who smoke pipes and cigars. (p. 67)
- Reductions in the number
of people who smoke cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and other tobacco products or
use smokeless tobacco could prevent most of the estimated 30,200 new cases
and 7,800 deaths from oral cavity and pharynx cancers annually in the
United States. (p. 67)
New cancers confirmed by this report
Citation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences
of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on
Smoking and Health, 2004.
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and has negative
health impacts on people at all stages of life. It harms unborn babies,
infants, children, adolescents, adults, and seniors.
SGR Fact Sheets
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