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Health experts say that smoking harms up to 15 types of cancer, but the most common is lung cancer. Tobacco smoke contains toxic chemicals that affect the genetic material of cells in all parts of the body, not just cells in the lungs.

These include mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus cancer; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; pancreas cancer; stomach cancer; liver cancer; cervix, colon, and rectum cancer; and acute myeloid leukemia and other cancer types. Few realize that these deadly diseases are highly dangerous to those who smoke.

These risks can quickly be reduced by quitting smoking. Many kinds of smoking-related cancers are less likely to develop within 20 years. Both health professionals and the general public are encouraged to totally cease tobacco use and to stay away from secondhand smoke.

This broad-spectrum effect shows that smoking is one of the most common preventable causes of cancer in the world today. The health benefits of enough understanding beyond lung cancer are just as critical for making better health decisions and helping people quit.