Three times more cancer deaths among smokers

Three times more cancer deaths among smokers / Health News

Significant increase in tobacco-related cancer deaths in women

05/30/2013

The number of smoking-related cancer deaths among women in Germany has tripled in the last three decades, reports the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. While significantly more men are still dying from the typical smoker's cancers today, if women continue to increase their tobacco use, there is likely to be an approximation here in the coming decades.


In the case of men, the deaths from lung, bronchial or throat cancer associated with smoking reached a figure of just under 28,000 in 1980, while less than 5,000 women died from cancer at that time, reports the Federal Statistical Office. Since then, however, women's lung, bronchial and laryngeal deaths have almost tripled, while the number of deaths among men has risen only slightly. According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than twice as many men as women died in 2011 as a result of their tobacco use, but the women have caught up frighteningly.

Cancer deaths among smokers increased by 186 percent
Over the past 30 years, the number of women who died from smoking-related cancer has risen from below 5,000 in 1980 to around 14,500 in 2011, according to the Federal Statistics Office's World No Tobacco Day release. The number of male deaths from lung, bronchial and throat cancer increased in the same period from just under 28,000 to 31,000. In parallel with the significant increase in tobacco consumption among women, the number of associated cancer deaths has increased dramatically. Compared to 1981, an increase of 186 percent was recorded, while the number of men who died of lung, bronchial and throat cancer increased by only eleven percent. For the general life expectancy of the women the continuation of the development could have massive consequences, because according to data of the Federal Statistical Office the „Women with lung, bronchial or throat cancer on average at just 71 years (deceased), ten years earlier than their female counterparts.“

Fewer cigarettes, more cigarillos and cigars
Although various government measures (for example increased tobacco tax, partial ban on tobacco advertising) have been taken to reduce tobacco consumption, so far there has been no significant change in trend. Although according to the Federal Statistical Office „the daily consumption of cigarettes from 363 million units in 2003 to only 225 million units in 2012“ sunk, but has in the same period „the daily consumption of cigars and cigarillos from 9 million to 10 million pieces“ increased and „the consumption of fine cut increased from 51 tons to 74 tons.“ In fact, the figures are likely to be significantly higher, since only the taxed tobacco products were taken into account in the respective calendar year as a database and the untaxed tobacco products are not included.

Viewed from the production side, according to Destatis, a total of 206.2 billion cigarettes, two billion cigarillos and 555 million cigars were produced in Germany in 2012, as well as 43,300 tons of fine cuts and 800 tons of pipe tobacco. Compared to the previous year, the production of cigars had increased by 4.4 percent and by fine cut by 1.1 percent „Since German reunification, no more cigars and fine cuts have been produced in Germany in any given year than in 2012“, reports the Federal Statistical Office. On the other hand, the production of cigarettes had fallen by 6.3 percent and the production of cigarillos by 17.5 percent. The pipe tobacco production even fell by 25.1 percent ...

Ban on tobacco advertising required
The focus of World No Tobacco Day this year is the ban on tobacco advertising. Under the motto set by the World Health Organization (WHO) „Ban smoking advertising, promotion and sponsorship“ will be briefed on the sophisticated strategies of the tobacco industry to promote their products and fight for a more comprehensive ban. The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg has published a publication entitled „Cigarette advertising in Germany - Marketing strategies for a health-endangering product“ edited. The non-smoking action alliance, in which the DKFZ is also involved, also demanded „the introduction of a comprehensive tobacco advertising ban“, should include the following: prohibition of out-of-home advertising, print advertising, cinema and the Internet; Prohibition of point-of-sale advertising and cigarette machines, prohibition of promotion, sponsorship and other forms of financial donation to third parties, prohibition of the transfer of the brand name to non-tobacco products and the placement of tobacco products in entertainment media and a ban on the use of tobacco product packaging as an advertising medium by the introduction a standardized packaging.

A more comprehensive ban on advertising could significantly reduce the number of smokers in the long term, according to the hope of health institutions. However, Germany is already finding it difficult to implement the signed WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and has so far not complied with its commitment to a consistent ban on tobacco advertising. Numerous exceptions give the tobacco companies in this country still the opportunity to promote their products. (Fp)


Picture: Martin Büdenbender