New figures reveal lethal legacy of smoking related cancer in the North East
In the run up to World Cancer Day (Feb 4) new figures have been released by Fresh, revealing how smoking is responsible for thousands of brand new cases of cancer and cancer related deaths every year in the North East.
It comes as leading medical experts from the region back a hard hitting new campaign showing how just 15 cigarettes can cause a mutation which can lead to a cancerous tumour.
The figures below are estimates based on research by Cancer Research UK which found nearly one in five (19.4 per cent) of new cases of cancer in the UK are caused by smoking, as well as research led by Richard Peto* at the University of Oxford that found over a quarter (28 per cent) of deaths from cancer in the UK are caused by smoking.
Figures show that:
14,813 people in the North East were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 2,874 cases due to smoking** The North East had an estimated 2,122 deaths in the region from smoking related cancer in 2010*** 1070 people in Stockton were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 208 new cases due to smoking** and had an estimated 143 deaths*** 764 people in Middlesbrough were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 148 new cases due to smoking** and had an estimated 111 deaths*** 505 people in Hartlepool were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 98 new cases due to smoking** and had an estimated 83 deaths*** 877 people in Redcar and Cleveland were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 170 new cases due to smoking** and had an estimated 118 deaths 1352 people in Newcastle upon Tyne were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 262 new cases due to smoking** and had an estimated 208 deaths 1149 people in Gateshead were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 223 new cases due to smoking** and had an estimated 161 deaths 1143 people in North Tyneside were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 222 new cases due to smoking** and had an estimated 179 deaths 1673 people in Sunderland were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 325 new cases due to smoking**and had an estimated 232 deaths 906 people in South Tyneside were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 176 new cases due to smoking**and had an estimated 145 deaths 1909 people in Northumberland were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 370 new cases due to smoking**and an estimated 260 deaths 2913 people in County Durham were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 565 new cases due to smoking**and an estimated 401 deaths 552 people in Darlington were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009, with an estimated 107 new cases due to smoking**and an estimated 77 deaths.
Professor Paul Corris, Professor of Thoracic Medicine Newcastle University and the Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that THE most effective and cost effective strategy to reduce the risk of cancer is to stop smoking or better still never start. This is an area where prevention is definitely better than attempted cure.
“The association between lung cancer and smoking is well recognised by the public, but smoking a cigarette leads to more than 70 different poisons entering the blood stream, potentially causing up to fifteen different cancers in a smokers body, a fact not appreciated by many. Why ride your luck on the cancer gamble by smoking? Stop now or never start and effectively reduce your risks at once. You owe it to yourself and your family.”
Prof Sir John Burn, Professor of Clinical Genetics at Newcastle University, lead clinician for NHS North East and genetics lead for the National Institute of Health Research, said: “There are a lot of chemicals in tobacco smoke which essentially attach to and damage the DNA in our body’s stem cells. These stem cells, which continually replace themselves to line and protect our organs, such as lungs and bowel are needed every day to replace any damaged tissue. Once DNA has been damaged, it doesn’t accurately copy itself – this is a ‘mutation’ – and then permanent changes are made to the DNA in our cells which we carry throughout our lives.
“A lot of the time, we’re not aware the damage is there. Most damage is fixed by the body’s own clever repair systems, but if cells continue to be damaged by chemicals every day, DNA damage accumulates. These ‘mutations’ can lead to cancer. If you’re a smoker, this is mostly anything which has direct contact with tobacco – i.e. lung cancer and head and neck cancers such as mouth, tongue, throat and lips. Bladder cancer is also common as chemicals are processed in the body before being dropped into the bladder.
“If you are a smoker, you have a much increased risk of cancer for this reason. If you’ve been a smoker, but have now quit, there is some damage to stem cells which won’t go away – however, because you have quit, you have stopped any new damage from happening. Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and it is crucial to stop for good as soon as possible.”
Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, said: “Too many cherished mums, dads and grandparents die before their time every year as a result of smoking related cancers, leaving loved ones behind.
“Often people who have smoked all their lives and get cancer as a result feel anger they didn’t quit sooner, but the cruel fact is that most smokers start as children and are addicted by the time they reach 18. We need to recognise that smoking is an addiction promoted by an industry with no regard for people’s health, only its profits.”
Smoking is by far the most important preventable cause of cancer in the world. It causes more than four in five cases of lung cancer, which has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers and is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK. The good news is that most of these deaths are preventable, by quitting in time.
Smoking also increases the risk of over a dozen other cancers including cancers of the mouth, larynx (voice box), pharynx (upper throat), nose and sinuses, oesophagus (food pipe), liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, bladder, cervix and bowel, as well as one type of ovarian cancer and some types of leukaemia. There is also some evidence that smoking could increase the risk of breast cancer.
It is never too late to quit smoking to reduce your risk of developing illness, disability or death caused by cancer, heart or lung disease. After five years, the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, and bladder are cut in half while cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non smoker****. After ten years smokefree, a former smoker’s risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker*****
The Department of Health’s national advertising campaign, which Fresh is helping to put on TV screens in the North East, was developed after research showed more than a third of smokers still think the health risks associated with smoking are greatly exaggerated.
It is also designed to send a tough message to smokers about the dangers of smoking, especially to younger generations who may not have seen such a hard-hitting message about smoking before.
Anyone wanting to quit smoking can call NHS Smokefree on 0800 022 4 332, text Smokefree to 80800 or visit www.smokefree.nhs.uk Details on how to quit are also available from your local pharmacy or GP surgery. Quit Kits are available in over 8,200 pharmacies across England.
You can also follow FRESH on facebook and Twitter at FreshSmokeFree.