Cigarette smoking-attributable burden of cancer by race and ethnicity in the United States

Purpose: Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disability from cancer in the U.S. Smoking prevalence varies by racial and ethnic group, and therefore the smoking-related burden of cancer is expected to vary accordingly. Methods: We estimated the cigarette smoking-attributable Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost to cancer, overall and within racial/ethnic groups, using published DALY estimates, smoking prevalence from survey data, and relative risks from large cohort studies. Results: In 2011, 2.6 million DALYs were lost to cancer due to cigarette smoking (27% of all DALYs lost to cancer). Smoking-attributable DALY rates were higher in men (968 per 100,000 people [95% confidence interval: 943–992]) than women (557 [540–574]). In combined sex analyses, DALY rates were higher in non-Hispanic Blacks (960 [934–983]) and non-Hispanic Whites (786 [768–802]) than in Hispanics (409 [399–421]) and non-Hispanic Asians (335 [320–350]). Conclusions: Smoking-attributable cancer burden was substantial in all racial and ethnic groups, underscoring the need for intensified tobacco cessation in all populations.

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