Nearly Half of U.S. Cancer Deaths Attributed to Smoking

Cigarette smoking caused roughly half of the 345,962 deaths attributed to cancer among U.S. residents in 2011, according to a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. According to the study, 45% of cancer-related smoking deaths can be attributed to lung, bronchus and trachea cancer. Overall, the researchers determined 48.5% of deaths associated with 12 different types of cancers studied can be linked directly to smoking. 

• "Cigarettes Linked to Half of Deaths From 12 Common Cancers" (Rapaport, Reuters, 6/15).