DENVER, Colo. -- The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) today issued a new statement on Tobacco Control and Smoking Cessation at the 16th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Denver. The statement calls for higher taxes on tobacco products, comprehensive advertising and promotion bans of all tobacco products and product regulation including pack warnings.
"Tax policies that increased the cost of cigarettes have played a prominent role in the reduction of cigarette smoking," said Dr. Kenneth Michael Cummings, Professor, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina and Co-Chair of IASLC's Tobacco Control and Smoking Cessation Committee.
Cummings and the committee highlighted a recent estimate that showed that doubling the inflation-adjusted price of cigarettes could result in a 33 percent reduction in smoking prevalence. Many low- and middle-income countries can accomplish this by tripling the specific excise tax on tobacco. A low-specific excise tax on tobacco is the main reason that, even after adjustment for purchasing power, cigarettes are about 70 percent cheaper in many low-income countries compared with high-income countries.
Cummings said that smoking is responsible for over 80 percent of all lung cancer cases, while exposure to air pollution, radon, occupational exposures to chemicals and having a family history of lung cancer likely account for the majority of the remaining cases. Worldwide, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death.
IASLC urges its members and others around the world to:
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To read the entire tobacco declaration, visit: https://www.iaslc.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg-assets/News/iaslc_2015_tobacco_statement_long.pdf .
About the WCLC:
The WCLC is the world's largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, attracting more than 7,000 researchers, physicians and specialists from more than 100 countries. The conference goal is to increase awareness and collaboration so that the latest developments in lung cancer can be understood and implemented throughout the world. Falling under the theme of "Fighting Lung Cancer," the conference will cover a wide range of disciplines and unveil several research studies and clinical trial results. For the first time, IASLC has invited survivors to attend the conference free of charge. For more information on the 2015 WCLC, visit: http://wclc2015.iaslc.org/ .
About the IASLC:
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization specifically dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes nearly 4,000 lung cancer specialists in 80 countries. For more information, visit: https://www.iaslc.org/ .