Tobacco and Liver Cancer
Cigarettes cause hepatocellular carcinoma, a liver cancer with one of the lowest survival rates.Footnote 1Footnote 2
- Key facts about tobacco use and liver cancer
- What is liver cancer?
- How does tobacco use increase the risk of liver cancer?
- How does quitting reduce the risk of liver cancer?
- Health benefits of quitting tobacco use at any age
- Call for free help to quit
Key facts about tobacco use and liver cancer
- In 2022, it was estimated there would be 3,500 new cases of liver cancer in Canada, and at least 1,650 liver cancer deaths.Footnote 3
- In Canada (excluding Québec), 78% of people diagnosed with liver cancer are predicted to die within five years, according to 2015-2017 data.Footnote 2
- Someone who smokes has up to 60% higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma than someone who has never smoked.Footnote 1
- Approximately 24% of liver cancer cases were due to smoking in 2015.Footnote 4
View health-related messages for all tobacco product packaging.
What is liver cancer?
Liver cancer is the uncontrolled growth of liver cells, leading to the formation of a mass or tumor in the liver. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer.
The liver is an organ that filters blood, processes nutrients, removes toxins, and balances blood sugar.Footnote 5
Symptoms of liver cancer include right side abdominal pain, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice).Footnote 6
Treatment for liver cancer may include a liver transplant or surgery to remove some or all of the liver. Chemotherapy and radiation can also treat liver cancer.Footnote 7
How does tobacco use increase the risk of liver cancer?
Some of the chemicals in tobacco smoke can cause genetic changes leading to the development of cancer.Footnote 8
The liver breaks down the chemicals in tobacco smoke. Contact with these chemicals can lead to liver cell damage and potentially the development of liver cancer. Tobacco smoke can also cause scarring (fibrosis) of the liver, which is a known risk factor for liver cancer.Footnote 1
How does quitting reduce the risk of liver cancer?
Quitting is one of the best ways to avoid the development of liver cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.Footnote 9
If someone who smokes has liver cancer, quitting can still benefit them. Quitting smoking can improve recovery for cancer patients.Footnote 1
Continuing to smoke after a cancer diagnosis can lower chances of survival and increase the risk for other cancers caused by tobacco smoke, such as lung cancer.Footnote 1
Health benefits of quitting tobacco use at any age
Quitting tobacco use reduces the risk of premature death, improves health, and enhances quality of life.Footnote 9 Quitting at any age is beneficial to one's health.Footnote 9 Even people who have smoked or used tobacco heavily for many years benefit from it.Footnote 9Footnote 10 Quitting is the most important thing someone who smokes can do to improve their health.
Read more about the benefits of quitting smoking.
Call for free help to quit
Call the toll-free pan-Canadian quit line at 1-866-366-3667. Quit line counselling, alone or in combination with cessation medication, increases success in quitting.Footnote 9
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
-
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014.
- Footnote 2
-
Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2021. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society: 2021. http://cancer.ca/Canadian-Cancer-Statistics-2021-EN
- Footnote 3
-
Brenner DR, Poirier A, Woods RR, Ellison LF, Billette JM, Demers AA, Zhang SX, Yao C, Finley C, Fitzgerald N, Saint-Jacques N. Projected estimates of cancer in Canada in 2022. CMAJ. 2022 May 2;194(17):E601-7.
- Footnote 4
-
Poirier AE, Ruan Y, Grevers X, Walter SD, Villeneuve PJ, Friedenreich CM, Brenner DR; ComPARe Study Team. Estimates of the current and future burden of cancer attributable to active and passive tobacco smoking in Canada. Prev Med. 2019 May;122:9-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.03.015.
- Footnote 5
-
American Society of Clinical Oncology. Liver Cancer: Introduction. Published January 2021. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/liver-cancer/introduction
- Footnote 6
-
American Society of Clinical Oncology. Liver Cancer: Symptoms and Signs. Published January 2021. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/liver-cancer/symptoms-and-signs
- Footnote 7
-
American Society of Clinical Oncology. Liver Cancer: Types of Treatment. Published January 2021. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/liver-cancer/types-treatment
- Footnote 8
-
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2010.
- Footnote 9
-
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2020.
- Footnote 10
-
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2004.
Page details
- Date modified: