March 3, 2026Open Access

The disease burden of cancer attributable to smoking worldwide from 1990 to 2021: an analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021

Key Points

Cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life years attributable to smoking have increased globally, showing a critical health issue.
Despite overall increases, age-standardized mortality and disability rates decreased, especially in high SDI regions.
Analysis based on Global Burden of Disease data indicates significant cancer types linked to smoking, including lung and esophageal cancers.
Continued efforts in tobacco control are essential, especially in areas of low SDI to maintain positive trends in reducing smoking-related cancers.

Abstract

This study reveals a rising global burden of cancer attributable to smoking deaths and DALYs. However, ASMR and ASDR have decreased, with males bearing a higher burden, indicating a relative reduction in disease burden. High SDI regions exhibit steeper declines in the burden of cancer attributable to smoking. Tracheal, bronchus, and lung, esophageal, and stomach cancers dominate, with ARIMA forecasts predicting continued reductions through 2041. It remains imperative to enhance tobacco control, especially in low SDI regions, to sustain this declining trend.

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Wei et al. (Tue,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a75b3ac6e9836116a222dd https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s12957-026-04197-7

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