16 cancers caused by smoking

Most people associate lung cancer with tobacco but did you know there are 16 cancers that can be caused by smoking?

Every time a person takes a puff of a cigarette, 7000 chemicals enter the lungs and spread to other parts of the body, including 69 known carcinogens.

Here are some of the facts on smoking and cancer.

	1 in 8 cancer cases are caused by smoking.
	1 in 5 cancer deaths are caused by smoking.
	Every time a person takes a puff of a cigarette, 7000 chemicals enter into the lungs and spread to other parts of the body.
	There are 69 different chemicals in a cigarette that are known to cause cancer (carcinogens).
	15,389 cancer cases are caused by smoking each year.
	It’s never too late to quit smoking. The body starts to repair itself 6 hours after the last cigarette and the risks of smoking will continually decrease after that.
	If tobacco smoking didn’t exist, lung cancer would be a rare disease. In Australia, 81% of lung cancers are attributable to smoking. This figure is higher for males at 90%, compared to 65% for females.
	Smoking increases the odds of stomach cancer by 61%. Stomach cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers in the world, especially for men.
	A large portion of cancers of the mouth can be attributed to tobacco, including: 60% oral cavity and pharynx cancers 77% larynx cancers 60% oesophageal cancer cases.

Download the above statistics in an infographic about smoking and cancer.

These are the 16 cancers you are at risk of getting if you smoke:

• Cancer of the lung
• Cancers of the mouth, throat, nose and sinuses
• Cancers of the oesophagus
• Cancers of the bladder, kidney and ureter
• Cancer of the pancreas
• Cancer of the stomach
• Cancer of the liver
• Cancer of the cervix and ovary
• Cancer of the bowel (colorectal cancer)
• Acute myeloid leukaemia

Chemicals in tobacco will also affect people who are exposed to cigarette smoke. Second-hand or passive smoking poses health risks to adults similar to active smoking, and has also been associated with sudden infant death syndrome and asthma in children.

It’s never too late to quit smoking. Your body starts to repair itself 6 hours after the last cigarette.

For help and information on how to quit smoking, visit the iCanQuit website or call Quitline on 13 QUIT (13 78 48).