Tobacco use represents the leading preventable cause of cancer deaths in the nation, with 40 percent of all cancer diagnoses in America associated with the substance, according to a new Vital Signs report from the CDC.
Current evidence links tobacco use with cancers of the mouth and throat, voice box, esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, liver, cervix, colon and rectum, bladder and acute myeloid leukemia. From 2009 to 2013, approximately 343,000 people died annually from a type of cancer associated with tobacco use. During that time, three in 10 cancer deaths were attributable to cigarette smoking.
"There are more than 36 million smokers in the U.S.," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD. "Sadly, nearly half could die prematurely from tobacco-related illnesses, including six million from cancer, unless we implement the programs that will help smokers quit."
The prevalence of tobacco control programs has grown over the years. According to National Health Interview Survey data released Thursday, the number of adult smokers in the U.S. declined from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 15.1 percent in 2015.
"When states invest in comprehensive cancer control programs — including tobacco control — we see greater benefits for everyone and fewer deaths from tobacco-related cancers. We have made progress, but our work is not done," said Lisa C. Richardson, MD, director of CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.
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