No Smoking Day
Wednesday 14 March 2007
This No Smoking Day The Institute of Cancer Research is urging smokers to kick the habit. With a ban on smoking in indoor public places coming into effect in just a few months there has never been a better time to give up.
Smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer in the world and half of all smokers eventually die because of their habit. Smoking is well known for being associated with lung cancer; in fact it causes more than 90% of cases of this disease, which kills over 33,000 people each year in the UK. Many people do not realise that smoking also causes more than a dozen other types of cancer including mouth, throat, bladder, larynx (voice box) and colon.
The risk of many types of cancers increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the length of time of being a smoker. Smoking causes nearly one-third of all cancer related deaths.
Professor David Phillips from The Institute of Cancer Research said: “In the UK alone more than 40,000 people die each year of cancers which have been caused by smoking. We urge all smokers to take their health into their own hands and give up. The moment that you stop smoking you start to experience health benefits, so it’s never too late to quit.”
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Smoking in enclosed public places will be banned in England from 1st July 2007
For interviews with ex-smokers affected by cancer, scientific experts or further information please contact:
The Institute of Cancer Research Press Office
Nadia Ramsey
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 7153 5359
Out of hours: 07788 427856
Notes to Editors:
About The Institute of Cancer Research
- The Institute of Cancer Research is Europe’s leading cancer research centre with expert scientists working on cutting edge research. It was founded in 1909 to carry out research into the causes of cancer and to develop new strategies for its prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. Website at: www.icr.ac.uk
- The Institute works in a unique partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, forming the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. This relationship enables close daily contact with those on the frontline in the fight against cancer - the clinicians, the carers and most importantly, the patients.
- The Institute is a charity that relies on voluntary income. The Institute is one of the world’s most cost-effective major cancer research organisations with over 90p in every £ directly supporting research.