Tobacco caused 2.4 million U.S. cancers
9/5/2008
Top Stories
- Bone Marrow Transplant Offers Glimmer of Hope for AIDS Cure
- Women's and Men's Hands Differ in Bacteria Count The surprising bit of news is that women carry more types on average than men.
- Toasting another healthy benefit of red wine may help prevent fat accumulation in the liver
- mentally taxing job's may help protect against the memory loss
- it’s flu and cold season. If you’re feeling under the weather—wash your hands.
- high altitude mountain climbing may not be the best thing for your brain.
- A new study says that eating a western diet accounts for more than a third of heart attacks worldwide.
- If you’re a woman and you have a few extra cavities blame your hormones
- Lumpectomy not advised if breast cancer returns A mastectomy is prudent when breast cancer returns after a lumpectomy, because survival rates are be...
- 10% of American children have an undiagnosed eye problem If not treated, eye trouble can lead to difficulties in school and even loss of vision.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tobacco use caused 2.4 million cases of cancer in the United States from 1999 to 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.
As might be expected, lung and bronchial cancer accounted for nearly half the cases but cancers of the larynx, mouth and pharynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, cervix, as well as acute myelogenous leukemia are also caused by tobacco, the CDC found.
"The data in this report provides additional, strong evidence of the serious harm related to tobacco," said Sherri Stewart of the CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, who led the study.
Stewart's team looked at cancer surveys and registries covering 92 percent of the U.S. population.
Kentucky had the highest rates of lung cancer among men and women, while Western states with low rates of smoking also had low rates of cancer.
Tobacco-related cancers were more common among blacks, non-Hispanic whites and men, reflecting the groups that use tobacco more, the CDC found.
"Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States and the most prominent cause of cancer," said the CDC's Dr. Matthew McKenna.
"The tobacco-use epidemic causes a third of the cancers in America."
Tobacco use kills 438,000 people prematurely every year, including 38,000 people who breathe only secondhand smoke, the CDC said.
"Tobacco use causes more deaths each year than alcohol use, car crashes, suicide, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), homicide, and illegal drug use combined," the report reads.
"In addition, smoking accounts for $167 billion annually in health care expenditures and productivity losses."
For more information on cancer prevention and treatment: Your Cancer Today.
© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.