Over 2 Million Tobacco Cancers Reported

(September 5, 2008) - About 2.4 million cases of tobacco-related cancers were diagnosed in the United States over a recent 5 year period, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lung and bronchial cancer accounted for almost half of these diagnoses. (Read about "Lung Cancer") CDC calls the report the most comprehensive assessment to date. The study marks the first time CDC has reported on all tobacco-related cancers for more than 90 percent of the population.

"The data in this report provides additional, strong evidence of the serious harm related to tobacco," said Sherri Stewart, Ph.D., in CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, who is lead author of the study. "We've long known tobacco was associated with lung and laryngeal cancer (Read about "Head & Neck Cancers"), but this study gives us even greater clarity. The rates for these two cancers were highest in areas with the highest prevalence of tobacco use." (Read about "Quit Smoking")

The Surgeon General has found tobacco use causes these cancers: lung and bronchial, laryngeal, oral cavity and pharyngeal, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, kidney and renal pelvis, urinary bladder, cervical and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). (Read about "Oral Cancer" "Esophagus Cancer" "Stomach Cancer" "Pancreatic Cancer" "Kidney Cancer" "Bladder Cancer" "Cervical Cancer" "Leukemia")

Researchers' analyzed data from CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology and Results Program.

Lung, laryngeal, and cervical cancer incidence rates were highest in the South, where the highest prevalence of smoking exists. Kentucky had the highest rates of lung cancer among men and women (133.2 and 75.5, respectively), the third highest rate of laryngeal cancers among men (9.7) and the highest rate of laryngeal cancer among women (2.6). Kentucky had the highest prevalence of current smoking (28.6 percent).

States with the lowest smoking rates are in the West: Utah (10.4 percent), California (18.5 percent), and Montana (18.5 percent). Cancer incidence rates were consistently lowest in the West for all the cancers, with the exception of stomach cancer.