About 1.3 million people die each year from smoking-related cancers across seven countries.
A study funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) found that China has the highest number of tobacco-related deaths.
The study, “International burden of cancer deaths and years of life lost due to cancer due to four major risk factors: a population-based study in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States ”, provided a comprehensive analysis of the impact of alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, obesity and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, on cancer mortality and years of life lost (YLL) across seven different countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).
Using population attributable fractions from global population-based studies, the researchers applied these fractions to estimate the number of cancer deaths in 2020 to determine preventable cancer deaths and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In 2020, an estimated 20.8 million deaths were attributable to tobacco smoking across seven countries, with the highest rates recorded in China, followed by Russia.
Funded by Cancer Research UK , the study highlights the importance of cancer control efforts, such as efforts to reduce smoking rates, with the aim of reducing the burden of cancer deaths.
EU subcommittee recognises potential of vaping as a smoking cessation aid
Meanwhile, the EU’s Public Health Agency (SANT) has acknowledged the potential of vaping to help smokers quit and thus reduce smoking-related deaths. This was stated in a parliamentary report on non-communicable diseases, which recognised vaping as an alternative to smoking for smokers. However, SANT has taken the extremely contradictory step of proposing to extend the smoking ban to vaping.
World Vapers Alliance (WVA) director Michael Landl sees the recognition of vaping by parliament as a positive step. He calls on the EU to fully embrace vaping in its strategy to reduce smoking-related diseases, seeing it as an important tool for achieving public health goals. However, he also expressed concern about the report’s recommendation to regulate vaping like smoking in public spaces.
Landl reiterated that treating vaping like smoking sends the wrong message to smokers looking to quit. He highlighted the lack of evidence of harm from secondhand vaping and called for a review of the broader implications of restricting vaping in smoking areas, including the risk of former smokers relapsing.
WVA highlights the need for a more thoughtful, common-sense approach and regulation to ensure that vaping remains a viable option for smokers committed to quitting. The organisation believes that measures supporting harm reduction strategies, such as vaping, should be integrated into EU public health policies to significantly reduce smoking rates and tackle non-communicable diseases.
UK releases vaping guidance for health professionals
In fact, in the UK, new evidence-based guidelines on vaping have been released by the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training. The guidelines aim to educate health professionals about vaping and encourage them to support smokers to quit using vaping. Prepared by a group of UK and international experts, the brief highlights that vaping is the leading method of quitting smoking in the UK and is more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapy in helping smokers to quit.
The guidelines state that the health priority is smoking cessation, not nicotine abstinence. Switching from smoking to vaping is recognised as an immediate improvement in current and future health. While vaping is not without risks, it is much less harmful than continued smoking, with a significantly lower risk of cancer. In fact, long-term vaping has been shown to improve smoking-related conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. The potential risks of long-term vaping, such as increased risk of lung cancer, COPD and cardiovascular disease, are recognised but are likely to be significantly lower than the risks associated with smoking.
New guidance issued by the UK's National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training highlights the success of vaping as a smoking cessation aid in the UK.
To this end, the guidelines provide practical advice to health professionals on supporting smokers to quit using e-cigarettes, covering aspects such as device choice, nicotine strength , flavours, technology and quitting. They address common misconceptions and misinformation about e-cigarettes, such as the misconception that e-cigarettes are as harmful as smoking, the “popcorn lung” myth, concerns about brain development in young people and the idea that vaping is simply swapping one addiction for another.
Another point highlighted in the document is the importance of supporting pregnant women who choose to vape rather than continue to smoke. While acknowledging the theoretical possibility that there may be risks associated with long-term use of e-cigarettes, the guidance stresses that these risks are likely to be significantly lower than the risks of smoking and relatively low in absolute terms.
The guidelines highlight the success of vaping as a smoking cessation aid in the UK, where it is seen as a game-changer in providing a harm-reduced alternative to smoking. The evidence-based approach aims to dispel misinformation and provide health professionals with accurate information to support smokers in making an informed decision about switching from smoking to vaping. Overall, the guidelines highlight the potential health benefits of switching from smoking to vaping while acknowledging the need for ongoing research and vigilance in monitoring long-term effects.
*** “ Popcorn lung ” is the common name for bronchiolitis obliterans, a disease that affects the smallest areas of your airways, causing you to cough and feel short of breath. The first case was discovered in a microwave popcorn factory in the US, which is why it is called popcorn lung. However, this disease can also occur in many cases due to inhalation of chemicals or other lung-related diseases.
