Smoking-related cancer hits record high, with 160 diagnoses per day – despite decline in smoking rates

New figures show that the number of cancer cases linked to smoking has reached a record high, with 160 people diagnosed every day.

According to an analysis by Cancer Research UK, the number of cases has risen by 17 per cent over the past two decades, with the number of cases of liver, throat and kidney cancer doubling during this period.

Although the number of smokers is decreasing, there are still around 6.4 million smokers in the UK due to the growing population.

The charity is calling on the new government to press ahead with the Tories’ Tobacco and Vapes Bill and reintroduce it in the first Speech from the Throne later this month.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2023 health report found that 12.7 percent of Britons over the age of 15 smoke cigarettes daily, much higher than the US and New Zealand.

This would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to people born after January 2009, preventing future generations from smoking.

Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of policy, said: ‘Every hour, six families’ lives are changed forever by a preventable disease.

‘Smoking is a particularly toxic consumer product and has no place in our future.

‘Raising the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products will be one of the biggest public health measures in history and positions the UK as a global leader.

‘It is vital that this bill is reintroduced in the Speech from the Throne, passed and fully implemented so that the impact of smoking is consigned to the history books.’

Data from the foundation shows that in 2023 there were approximately 57,600 cancer diagnoses due to smoking, compared to 49,325 in 2003.

Tobacco can cause 16 different types of cancer. Lung cancer alone accounts for 33,000 cases each year.

For the first time, breast cancer cases have been included in the analysis, following mounting scientific evidence linking breast cancer and smoking.

Previous years’ figures have been adjusted to take into account 2,200 cases of breast cancer each year in the UK.

The number of cases of liver cancer caused by smoking has increased from 711 in 2003 to 1,630 last year. The number of cases of kidney cancer has also increased from 1,215 to 2,151 and the number of cases of throat cancer from 619 to 1,261 during the same period.

Elsewhere, cancer specialists warned that the UK is at a tipping point in cancer care and called for a national cancer strategy to turn the tide.

In an article in the journal Lancet Oncology, they wrote that there are still no results in reducing the inequality in survival rates among cancer patients. They warned that delays in treatment cost lives.

Oncologists from hospitals including Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, Imperial College London and University College London warn the UK has one of the highest rates of cancer diagnoses following emergency admissions.

They argue that “new solutions,” such as new diagnostic tests, are being wrongly touted as “solutions” to the cancer crisis, but note that “none of them address the fundamental problems of cancer as a systems problem.”

They called for system-wide reforms to reduce disparities in cancer care and promote earlier diagnosis and timely treatment. They also made several policy recommendations, including expanding national audits of care.

Professor Pat Price, co-founder of the Catch-up with cancer campaign and chairman of Radiotherapy UK, said cancer care was in crisis, adding that ‘the tragedy is that it doesn’t have to be this way’.

She said: ‘The cancer community knows what needs to be done and how to do it. Too often policymakers focus on one aspect, such as diagnosis, but that alone is not enough.

“If you increase diagnosis but don’t treat people in time, newly diagnosed patients simply end up on long waiting lists. We need rapid diagnosis and timely treatment.”

She added: ‘Cancer is a complex disease. But the starting point for addressing our poor survival outcomes is simple: make a plan.

‘Reverse the previous government’s decision to scrap the National Cancer Plan. All the international evidence shows that countries with National Cancer Plans have better survival. And make sure the plan is adequately resourced and that we treat early and diagnose early.’