Quit Smoking: Reduce Your Risk of Lung Cancer

How much do you know about lung cancer? For example, did you know lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S.? And smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths. In fact, more women die from lung cancer each year than breast cancer.

The great news is that smoking-related lung cancer is preventable. The best way to reduce your risk of lung cancer is to quit smoking. About 1 in 5 American adults smoke cigarettes.  More than half of all adult smokers have quit and you can too, starting this month!

Quitting smoking can be tough, but you’re more likely to succeed with support. That means, it’s okay to ask for help! The National Cancer Institute created the Smokefree.gov initiative with a wide range of resources to help you (and your family and friends) quit smoking. No matter where you are in your quit smoking journey, we can help.

When it comes to quitting, choose what works best for you. Smokefree.gov resources use proven clinical techniques to help smokers quit, and they’re free. Try one of these to get started:

• Visit Smokefree.gov for quit tips and to learn more about smoking related topics.
• Sign up for the text message program SmokefreeTXT; text the word QUIT to 47848.
• Download one of our Smokefree apps to track your quit progress.

If you are ready to quit today, make sure to take these five steps:

1. Tell your friends and family you are ready to quit smoking, for extra support.
2. Make a quit plan or sign up for a program like SmokefreeTXT.
3. Try to stay busy. 
4. Avoid people, places, and activities that trigger an urge to smoke.
5. Stay positive!

Quitting smoking happens one minute, one hour, one day at a time. We’re always here to help! For more information visit Smokefree.gov or email us at NCISmokefreeTeam@mail.nih.gov.

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"This past November we observed Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Check out these resources for support if you or someone you know wants to quit smoking."