Cancer and Tobacco

How are tobacco and cancer linked?

Using tobacco makes it more likely that you will get cancer. This includes lung, mouth, throat, bladder, and other cancers. In fact, 1 out of 5 people with cancer in the U.S. got it from smoking.

All tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff, have harmful contents. These include:

• Poisons (toxins), like cyanide, lead, and arsenic.

• At least 70 chemicals in tobacco smoke that can cause cancer (these are called carcinogens).

• Nicotine, which is addictive.

• Chemicals called tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), which cause cancer.

Each tobacco product is linked to an increased risk for certain kinds of cancer:

Are cigars safer than cigarettes?

No, they are not. Many cigar smokers don't breathe in the smoke, but they still have a high risk of cancer. And cigar smoke contains cancer-causing agents, much like cigarette smoke. In fact:

• Cigar smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to get cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, and esophagus.

• One large cigar can have as much nicotine as a whole pack of cigarettes.

• Cigar smokers may spend an hour or more smoking one cigar.

• Secondhand smoke from cigars, like cigarette smoke, has toxins and cancer-causing agents.

How can I stop using tobacco?

The American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network offer the following tips if you are trying to quit using tobacco products:

• Think about why you want to quit.

• Pick a quit day within the next month.

• Ask family, friends, and coworkers to support you.

• Do something active every day to help with stress and improve your health.

• Get plenty of rest and eat a well-balanced diet.

• Join a stop-smoking program or other support group.

• Talk with your doctor about medicines that may help.

• For help quitting tobacco, go to:

  • https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/about/how-to-quit.html, 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669)

  • https://smokefree.gov, 877-44U-QUIT (877-448-7848)

  • www.lung.org/stop-smoking, 800-LUNGUSA (800-586-4872)

  • https://www.nccn.org/patients/guidelines/content/PDF/quitting-smoking-patient.pdf, 215-690-0300