Half of Cancer Deaths Linked to Smoking

A United States study claims that cigarettes are linked to nearly half of smoking-related cancers. This estimate was made through analyzing data from national surveys, interviews and follow up questionnaires.

Out of a total of 345,962 deaths from cancer in 2011, about 167,805 were linked to smoking. More specifically, almost 80 percent of these deaths were from lung, bronchus, trachea and larynx cancer. These types of cancer are most often linked with cigarette use. Additionally, tumors from smoking caused many deaths in those with bladder, oral and esophagus cancer. The study does not include cancer deaths linked to secondhand smoking.

Although the amount of people who smoke regular cigarettes seems to be declining, the number of people using other tobacco products are rising. E-cigarettes and hookahs are growing in popularity and still use tobacco, even if it is less than traditional cigarettes. Until we see a major decrease in tobacco products, these cancer deaths will still occur.