How does smoking cause cancer?

Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK, and worldwide.
Harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke affect the entire body – not just our lungs. And smoking causes at least 15 different cancer types.
There is no safe level of smoking – stopping completely is the best thing you can do for your health, and there are many support and quitting options available.

Our bodies are designed to deal with a bit of damage, but they often can’t cope with the amount of harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke.

Both the amount you smoke, and the length of time you’ve been smoking for affect your cancer risk.

The more cigarettes you smoke a day, the higher your risk of cancer, so reducing the number of daily cigarettes you smoke can be a good first step.

But the number of years you spend smoking affects your cancer risk most strongly. So it’s important to make a plan to stop smoking completely.

Remember, the sooner you stop, the lower your risk of canc...

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