Tobacco

Tobacco use is a leading cause of cancer and of death from cancer. People who use tobacco products or who are regularly around environmental tobacco smoke (also called secondhand smoke) have an increased risk of cancer because tobacco products and secondhand smoke have many chemicals that damage DNA.

Tobacco use causes many types of cancer, including cancer of the lung, larynx (voice box), mouth, esophagus, throat, bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas, colon and rectum, and cervix, as well as acute myeloid leukemia. People who use smokeless tobacco (snuff or chewing tobacco) have increased risks of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas.

There is no safe level of tobacco use. People who use any type of tobacco product are strongly urged to quit.  People who quit smoking, regardless of their age, have substantial gains in life expectancy compared with those who continue to smoke. Also, quitting smoking at the time of a cancer diagnosis reduces the risk of death.

For more information about the harms of tobacco use, see:

• Harms of Cigarette Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting
• "Light" Cigarettes and Cancer Risk
• Cigar Smoking and Cancer
• Secondhand Smoke and Cancer
• Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer

For help quitting, see:

• Handling Nicotine Withdrawal and Triggers When You Decide to Quit Tobacco
• Where to Get Help When You Decide to Quit Smoking
• Cigarette Smoking: Health Risks and How to Quit (PDQ®)  

Also, NCI offers free, confidential information about quitting tobacco by phone and online:

• The NCI quitline, 1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848), is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.
• Smoking cessation counselors are available online by clicking the "Quitting Smoking" button in the LiveHelp pop-up, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.