Important Facts about Lung Cancer and Tobacco Smoking

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer tops the charts of mortality inducing cancers. Even though anti-smoking awareness campaigns have been initiated by the government and NGO’s, the uses of ciggarattes have been increasing ever since.

Each cigarette packet states that smoking is injurious to health; over 50% of the cigarette pack space highlights this message.  Yet, people are smoking. This is due to the addictive nature of tobacco that prevents people from quitting and adds more and more people to this bandwagon.

Few Facts And Figures about Lung Cancer and Tobacco Smoking

• Nine to 10 people are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer as compared to non smokers.
• Tobacco smoking is responsible for 87% deaths due to lung cancer in the United States.
• Men who smoke are 24 times more likely to develop lung cancer as compared to non smokers.
• Women who smoke are 13 times more prone to developing lung cancer as compared to non smokers.
• Pack years is the term coined to calculate the risk of developing lung cancer. As, the risk of developing lung cancer is directly proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked.
• 10% of men and 20% of women who have never smoked are detected with lung cancers.
• It is estimated that there are approximately 48 million smokers in the US, of which only 23% are adults and 30% are adolescents.
• People, who haven’t been exposed to tobacco till the age of 21, may never resort to tobacco smoking at all even in the near future.
• According to Lancet, the British medical journal, the rate of tobacco caused mortality averages to 20% of all death causing agents.
• Tobacco is the only organic source of nicotine which is an addicting agent.
• Tobacco contains over 80 carcinogens which comprise of toxins such as cyanide, nicotine, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide.
• Tobacco use can be implicated in the cancer of lungs, kidney, mouth, breast, cervix, pancreas, ovaries, oesophagus, uterus, liver, and bladder and in the form of leukaemia.
• Cardiovascular diseases, strokes, bronchitis, sinus are also common fall outs of tobacco smoking.
• Reproductive complications like premature birth defects, low birth weight babies and miscarriages are consequences faced by women who indulge in tobacco smoking.
• 2, 21,130 new cases of lung cancer have been detected. Out of which, 1, 15,060 are males and 1, 06,070 are females.
• 1, 56,940 deaths have occurred from lung cancer. 85,600 detected in men and 71,340 in women.
• In the United States alone, 4, 43,000 people died of lung cancer during the year 2000 to 2004.
• Each year 3,500 people who have passively smoked dies of lung cancer due to breathing second hand stroke.

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