The bad news is that smoking increases your risk of developing lung cancer. And I can tell you that 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of lung cancer deaths in women are linked with smoking. And lung cancer is not the only cancer related to smoking. Strong links have been shown between smoking and cancer of the mouth, the larynx, the esophagus, the bladder, the stomach and the kidneys. But cancer was the first disease that was linked to smoking, and it is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States.

Here are some statistics to consider:

Men who are smokers are 23 times more likely to get cancer than men who do not smoke.

Women who are smokers are 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer than women who do not smoke.

You do not decrease the risk of catching lung cancer by smoking low tar, low nicotine or 'light' cigarettes.

Did you know that there are over 4000 chemicals in cigarette smoke? At least 60 of these are known carcinogens.

Carcinogens damage the DNA in cells that controls their growth. One of the characteristics of malignant cancer cells is unrestrained growth and replication of cells.

30% of cancer deaths annually is directly attributed to cigarette smoking.

87% of lung cancer deaths is caused by cigarette smoking.

Secondhand smoke accounts for about 5% of all newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer.

Secondhand smoke, or passive smoking causes about 3000 lung cancer deaths in each and every year.

If you quit smoking before the age of 35 you can reduce your risk of developing lung cancer by as much as 90%.

Even quitting smoking before you reach 50 will substantially reduce your risk of developing cancer.

It is known that 7 of 8 people who contracted lung cancer will not be alive five years after their diagnosis.

The more you smoke, the more you increase your risk of actually developing lung cancer.

Lung cancer is decreasing in the United States as the number of smokers have decreased.

People try to tell you, that it is not proven that cigarette smoking actually causes lung cancer. This is true to some extent. For example, you may have a genetic predisposition to getting cancer. Not everything is known why some people develop cancer and others do not. Some people can smoke for years and do not get it, and some people get it who never smoked at all. But there is one thing you can be sure of, smoking will increase your risk of developing lung cancer. And if you do stop smoking, you will decrease your risk of developing lung cancer over time.