How much cancer does smoking cause?

• World wide there are an estimated 1.5 million new cases of lung cancer each year. Approximately 80% of these new cases are caused by tobacco smoking. [1]
  
  
• Smoking caused an estimated 11,308 new cases of cancer in Australia in 2005. [2]
  
  
• There were 8,155 deaths from smoking-related cancer in Australia in 2005. [2]
  
  
• Lung cancer was responsible for 5,738 of these deaths. [2]
  
  
• Of all Australian States and Territories smoking-related cancer deaths were highest in the Northern Territory (53% higher than the national rate. [3]
  
  
• In NSW in 2006 there were 13,103 deaths from cancer, 3137 new cases of lung cancer and 2468 deaths from lung cancer. [4]

How does smoking cause cancer?

• Tobacco smoke contains around 69 carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances. [5]
  
  
• These substances cause genetic mutations that cause the uncontrolled growth of human cells that lead to tumours and cancer in various parts of the body. [6]
  
  
• One of these substances, Benzo(a)pyrene, has been found to damage the all-important P53 gene. This gene plays a vital role in maintaining the body's health by preventing uncontrolled cell multiplication. [7]

To what extent are particular cancers attributable to smoking?

The estimated percentages of particular cancers that can be attributed to smoking for both men and women are shown in the table below. [8]

Cancer type	men (%)	women (%)
Lung	89	70
Larynx	69	60
Oral cancers	52	42
Renal pelvis	51	43
Oesophagus	50	41
Vulva	-	32
Anus	39	29
Bladder	38	28
Pancreas	23	16
Penis	21	-
Kidney	17	12
Stomach	12	8

Useful links

• Boyle P, Levin B. (Eds): World cancer report. IARC Press. Lyon 2008
• Cancer in New South Wales: Incidence and Mortality Report 2006
• Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2008
• Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues

References

1. Boyle P, Levin (B). (Eds): World cancer report. IARC Press. Lyon 2008

2. AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) & AACR (Australasian Association of Cancer Registries) 2008. Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2008. Cancer series no. 46. Cat. no. CAN 42. Canberra: AIHW.
   www.aihw.gov.au/publications/can/ca08/ca08.pdf

3. Begg S, Vos T, Barker B, Stevenson C, Stanley L, Lopez AD, 2007. The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Canberra 2007.
   www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10317
4. Tracey EA, Alam N, Chen W, Bishop J. Cancer in New South Wales: Incidence and Mortality Report 2006. Sydney: NSW Central Cancer Registry, Cancer Institute NSW, 2008
   www.cancerinstitute.org.au/cancer_inst/publications/cim06.html
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centres for Disease Control, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.
   www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/sgr_2006/index.htm#full
6. Hecht SS. Cigarette smoke: cancer risks, carcinogens and mechanisms. Lagenbecks Archives of Surgery (2006) 391:603 – 613.
7. Denissenko MF, PAo A, Tang M, Pfeifer GP. Preferential Formation of Benzo(a)pyrene Adducts at Lung Cancer Mutational Hotspots in P53. Science 274 (5286): 340.
8. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) & Australasian Association of Cancer Registries (AACR) 2004. Cancer in Australia 2001. AIHW cat. no. CAN 23. Canberra: AIHW (Cancer Series no. 28).
   www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10083

9. Stewart BW, Kleihues P. (Eds): World Cancer report. IARC Press. Lyon 2003.