• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• Lung cancer is the most preventable form of cancer death in our society. (Source: Cancer Facts and Figures 2009)

• Lung cancer estimates for 2008 (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009):

New cases of lung cancer: 219,440

Deaths from lung cancer: 159,390

• Besides lung cancer, tobacco use also causes increased risk for cancers of the mouth, lips, nasal cavity (nose) and sinuses, larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), esophagus (swallowing tube), stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, uterine cervix, and acute myeloid leukemia. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• In the United States, tobacco use is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths; this equalled about 443,600 early deaths each year from 2000 to 2004. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• Tobacco use accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and 87% of lung cancer deaths. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• 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 2007, with almost 80% of these people smoking daily. (Source: Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts and Figures 2009)

• Cigarette smoking among adults age 18 and older went down 50% between 1965 and 2004 -- from 42% to 21% -- but about 43 million Americans still smoke. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• 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 21% for female students in 2007. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• 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 2009)

• Cigars contain many of the same carcinogens that are found in cigarettes. Cigar smoking increased 124% from 1993 to 2007. Cigar smoking causes cancers of the lung, oral cavity (mouth), larynx (voice box), esophagus (swallowing tube), and possibly the pancreas. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009)

• A 2007 CDC survey found that 8% of high school girls and 19% of high school boys had smoked a cigar in the past month. (Source: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance 2007)

• Among adults age 18 and older, national data from 2007 showed 7% of men and less than 1% of women were current users of smokeless tobacco. Nationwide, about 13% of US male high school students and 2% of female high school students were using chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip in 2007. (Sources: 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts and Figures 2009)

• 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 oral cavity (mouth), esophagus (swallowing tube), and pancreas. (Source: Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts and Figures 2009)

• Smokeless tobacco products are not a safer alternative to smoking. Using smokeless tobacco can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence. Use of tobacco in any form harms health. (Source: Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts and Figures 2009)

• Between 2000 and 2004, smoking caused more than $196 billion in annual health-related costs in the US, including smoking-attributable medical costs, and productivity losses. (Source: Cancer Facts and Figures 2009)

Last Medical Review: 12/16/2009
Last Revised: 12/15/2009