Cancer and Tobacco

Cigarettes

Cigarettes, the most common form of tobacco used, cause about 90% of all lung cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association. Smokers are also at a higher risk for mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box (larynx), kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, colon, and rectum cancer compared with nonsmokers. Smoking is linked to increased risk for a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia, too. In addition, cigarette smoking is linked to nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 250 of which are known to be harmful.

Cigars and pipes

Cigars and pipes are often believed to be a less harmful way to smoke tobacco. But even when not inhaling, cigar and pipe smokers are at increased risk for cancer of the mouth, esophagus, throat, voice box, and lungs. Pipe smokers also are at increased risk for lip cancers on the parts of the lip where the pipe stem rests. Cigars take longer to burn and contain more tobacco than cigarettes, so they increase the amount of secondhand smoke exposure, too.

Chewing tobacco and snuff

Spit tobacco, also known as chewing tobacco and snuff, is a form of tobacco that is put between the cheek and gum. Chewing tobacco can be in the form of leaf tobacco or plug tobacco. Snuff is a powdered form of tobacco and usually sold in cans. The nicotine from the tobacco is absorbed through the mouth tissues as the user “chews.”

Although chewing tobacco and snuff are considered smokeless tobacco products, harmful chemicals, including nicotine, are ingested. More than 25 cancer-causing chemicals have been found in smokeless tobacco.

Chewing tobacco and snuff can cause cancer in the mouth, cheek, tongue, and gums. Just as with a pipe, cancer often starts where the tobacco is held in the mouth. Cancer caused by chewing tobacco often starts as leukoplakia, which is a gray-white patch in the mouth or throat. Chewing tobacco is also linked to esophageal and pancreatic cancers.