At a glance
Smoking cessation protects against cancer and benefits both patients with cancer and cancer survivors. Health care professionals, particularly those in oncology care, should treat patients’ tobacco use and dependence.
Smoking causes cancer
One out of every three cancer deaths in the United States is related to cigarette smoking. Smoking causes 12 types of cancer, including cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, stomach, liver, colon and rectum, kidney and renal, pelvis, and cervix, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Additionally, secondhand smoke exposure causes lung cancer.
Research shows that, in both patients with cancer and cancer survivors, smoking:
- Increases the risk of death, including death from cancer.
- Increases the risk for risk of developing other primary cancers that are smoking-related.
- May increase risk of cancer recurrence.
- May result in poorer treatment response and increased treatment-related toxicity.
Smoking and cancer - what healthcare professionals need to know
Smoking cessation protects against cancer
Smoking cessation is one of the most important actions people who smoke can take to improve their health and reduce their risk for cancer. This is true for all people who smoke, regardless of age or how much or how long they smoked. For patients with cancer, studies suggest that quitting smoking can significantly reduce mortality and improve their prognosis.
The cancer-related benefits of smoking cessation include:
- Reduces the risk of 12 different types of cancer, including lung, larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, stomach, colon and rectum, liver, cervix, kidney, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
- After cessation, the risk of developing cancer (compared to continued smoking) drops over time:
- Added risk* of cancers of the larynx, oral cavity, and pharynx drops by half.
- Risk of cancers of the bladder, esophagus, and kidney decreases.
- Added risk* of lung cancer drops by half.
- Risk of cancers of the larynx, oral cavity, pharynx, and pancreas drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke.
- Added risk* of cervical cancer drops by about half.
*The added risk of cancer above that of the general population which is linked to smoking.
Smoking cessation also benefits patients with cancer:
- Improves the prognosis of patients with cancer.
- May improve all-cause mortality in patients with cancer.
Clinical interventions to treat tobacco use and dependence among adults
Resources for oncology care teams
- Patient Care | Smoking and Tobacco Use | CDC
- You can help your patients quit tobacco use
- A practical guide to help your patients quit using tobacco
- Tobacco treatment protocol from Million Hearts
- Action steps for clinicians from Million Hearts
- Tobacco cessation change package from Million Hearts
- Treating tobacco use and dependence, clinical practice guideline: 2008 update
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Tobacco smoking cessation in adults, including pregnant women: behavioral and pharmacotherapy interventions
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for smoking cessation