Nearly 800,000 lung cancer death averted by decline in smoking

The results from a major study on lung cancer conducted by six institutions (including Rice) was released yesterday in the Journal of National Cancer Institute.  The goal of the study was to ask  how many deaths have been prevented after the release of the US Surgeon General's report on Smoking and Health in 1964. This is the first time the NCI is publishing a paper of this magnitude on estimates of lung cancer deaths using all model-based approaches.  It was estimated nearly 800,000 lung cancer deaths have been averted from 1975-2000 with the decline in smoking.  What's the most impressive is that if smoking had been completely eliminated, then it was estimated that 2.5 million deaths would have been prevented.