Types of Cancer caused by Smoking and Tobacco consumption

oncare team
Updated on Jun 13, 2025 17:32 IST

By Raveena M Prakash

Smoking cigarettes and the use of tobacco products are the leading causes of cancer. Cancers caused by smoking, including lung, mouth, throat, and many more cancers, come in this category. Smoking is one of the risk factors for lung cancer. Smoking cigarettes and the use of tobacco products are one of the preventable causes of cancer across the world. Cigarette smoke contains natural carcinogens that cause cancer in people. It contains 7000 chemicals, including 70 cancer-causing agents.

In this article, we'll discuss several cancers that are associated with smoking cigarettes and tobacco products and explore how quitting smoking reduces the risk of cancer.

What types of cancers are caused by smoking

There are more than 15 types of cancers that are caused by smoking. Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer linked to tobacco smoking. However, there are some studies suggesting that 4 out of 5 cases of lung cancers are caused due to smoking cigarettes. Approximately 65% of men and 45% of women develop cancers such as mouth, throat, nose, and sinus cancers due to smoking.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the life-threatening diseases causing cancer deaths across the world. Approximately 80 to 90% of lung cancer deaths are linked to the use of tobacco products and smoking. The toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke destroy the lung tissues and mutate cells. It often leads to non-small cell and small cell lung cancers. 

Throat cancer

Smoking also increases the risk of throat (pharyngeal cancer) and laryngeal cancer (voice box). While smoking, all these carcinogens pass directly through the throat and start to irritate the lining and cause mutating cells over time. If you are someone who has a habit of smoking and drinking alcohol, it might increase the risk higher than smoking alone in people.

Oral cancer

Smoking or using smokeless cigar products such as chewing tobacco or snuff can often lead to oral cancers, including lip, tongue, cheek, gum, and floor of the mouth. There are carcinogens in the products that might cause cellular mutations, further leading to more painful conditions if not treated immediately.

Esophageal cancer

Smoking is a risk factor for esophageal cancer, causing squamous cell carcinoma, which affects the upper and middle parts of the esophagus. This type of cancer often damages the linings of the esophagus, eventually leading to chronic inflammation and precancerous changes. 

Stomach cancer

Smoking increases the risk of different types of cancer, including upper stomach and non-cardia stomach cancers. This condition often weakens the stomach’s lining and increases the risk of H. pylori infection. This is another cause of stomach cancer and interferes with the digestion function and cell regeneration.

Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. This cancer is strongly associated with smoking. Smokers are more likely to develop this cancer in their lifetime when compared to non-smokers. Carcinogens in smoke often cause DNA damage and promote inflammation in pancreatic tissue.

Bladder cancer

The carcinogens in cigarette smoke easily enter the bloodstream. The carcinogens are often filtered by the kidneys in our body, and they accumulate in the urine. It often makes the bladder lining highly prone to developing cancer. Studies suggest that smoking accounts for almost 50% of cancers in people. 

Kidney cancer

People who have the habit of smoking increase the risk of renal cell carcinoma, one of the most common types of kidney cancer. Toxins inhaled during smoking eventually pass through kidneys, damaging any kind of delicate tissues and decreasing the cellular repairing mechanisms.

Cervical cancer

Smoking weakens the overall immune system of the people, making it harder to block human papillomavirus infection (HPV) in the body. This virus infection is one of the major causes of cervical cancer in people. Women who smoke daily at least two times a day are more likely to develop cervical cancer when compared to non-smokers.

Liver cancer

The toxins in tobacco products often damage the liver cells and worsen health conditions such as cirrhosis, hepatitis B and C, and infections, all of which increase the risk of liver cancer in people. Meanwhile, smokers have a 50% increased risk of liver cancer when compared to non-smokers. 

Colorectal cancer

Smoking increases the risk of colorectal cancer (colon and rectal) in people. The carcinogens from smoke often affect a smoker’s colon lining. It is also known to interfere with the body’s DNA processes.

Additional types of cancer linked to smoking

Studies suggest that there are some other types of causes due to smoking in people. 

These may include:

  • Acute myeloid leukemia
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Nasal cavity and sinus cancers

How smoking leads to cancer

Studies suggest that cigarette smoking contains more than 7000 types of toxic chemicals. The smoke consists of chemicals such as arsenic, radioactive polonium-20, and mercury that are toxic to the human body. The smoke contains at least 70 types of carcinogens that cause cancer in both humans and animals.

However, people can also get cancer from any smokeless products, such as dipping and chewing tobacco. Breathing cigarette smoke can also cause cancer in people. Studies suggest that approximately 20 to 30% of people might increase the risk of cancer from passive smoking.

How quitting smoking reduces the cancer risks

People who smoke cigarettes might increase the risk of cancer and how many years you continue to smoke. However, people who quit smoking or stop the habit of smoking would reduce the risk of more than 12 types of cancers in them. If you are someone who has dropped the habit of smoking for five to ten years, you might reduce the risk of mouth, throat, and laryngeal cancer by 50% in your life period. 

For people who have stopped the habit of smoking for 20 years, the risk of getting cancers such as mouth, throat, voice box, or pancreas would remain the same as when you have never smoked, and the risk of cervical cancer might reduce by 50%.

Consult Today

Understanding how badly smoking causes cancer can often make people quit this dangerous habit. Cancers such as lung, mouth, and throat cancer and less evident cancers such as bladder or pancreatic cancer are on the rise in people who have the habit of smoking. Smoking cigarettes and the use of tobacco products are big risk factors for the development of many types of cancers in people.

At Oncare, we offer high-quality, advanced cancer treatments at affordable price packages with an experienced cancer specialist consultation. If you want to get the best cancer treatment in Delhi for lung cancer or other cancer, visit Oncare’s official website and book an appointment with our cancer specialists. Get an estimated cost of cancer treatments today!

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