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184,000 in UK to get preventable cancer diagnosis this year, study finds
A growing epidemic of preventable cancers will lead to 184,000 people in the UK being diagnosed with the disease this year and will cost the country more than £78bn, research reveals.
The cost of the cancer cases diagnosed in 2023 caused by smoking, drinking, obesity and sunburn leads to £40bn in lost productivity, costs the people affected £30bn and takes up £3.7bn of the NHS’s budget, the study found. Preventable cancers also cost families and carers £3.4bn and the social care system £1.3bn.
The stark findings sparked calls by doctors and public health campaigners for a crackdown on smoking, drinking and poor diet to reduce avoidable cancers because of the huge human toll they involve and their financial consequences.
Organisations such Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) estimate that about 40% of all cancers, in the UK and worldwide, are potentially preventable because they are closely linked to lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking and sunburn.
“This report is a stark reminder of the countless lives that could be saved by preventing cancer and a call to the UK government that health prevention strategies are key to relieving pressures on our NHS and economy”, said Michelle Mitchell, CRUK’s chief executive.
She called for “bold political action” to tackle the harm caused by tobacco and bad diet. “If recent trends continue, smoking could cause around 1m more cancer cases in the UK between now and 2040. And more than 21 million UK adults could be obese, which would increase their risk of over 13 types of cancer”, she said.
The findings are contained in a study of the social and economic costs of preventable cancers in the UK undertaken by Frontier Economics for the Guardian. Frontier, a leading economics consultancy, specialises in projecting the costs of major diseases using data published by government, official and medical bodies. The £78bn cost is the equivalent of 3.5% of GDP, it found.
Frontier’s report looked at the four most preventable cancers: skin, lung, bowel and breast cancer. It says 79% of the 54,500 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the UK each year are preventable and almost three-quarters of those are caused by tobacco.
Hazel Cheeseman, the deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said the age at which people can buy tobacco should be raised to 21, there should be mass media campaigns to encourage people to quit smoking, and a new “polluter pays” levy should be imposed on tobacco firms.
CRUK’s Mitchell voiced concern that the government was likely to miss its target for England to be “smoke-free” by 2030 because smoking rates were not falling as quickly as hoped, and that long-promised measures to tackle obesity – such as a ban on buy one get one free offers on junk food – had been delayed.
Source: The Guardian, 10 September 2023
See also: Frontier study: The societal and economic costs of preventable cancers in the UK
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Blog: Ethnic inequalities in mortality in England: a complex picture requiring tailored, evidence-based responses
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides the most comprehensive and up to date national profile of ethnic inequalities in mortality overall and from common physical conditions. It shows a complex picture of ethnic inequalities in mortality in England, with differences between people from ethnic minority and the White British groups, between different ethnic minority groups, and across different health conditions.
The findings confirm earlier reports that people from ethnic minority groups, especially Black African and Chinese groups, have lower overall mortality than the White British group, often attributed to the “healthy migrant effect”.
The ONS data is a powerful reminder that ethnic, deprivation-related and regional health inequalities are driven primarily by conditions that are largely preventable, e.g, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and cancers caused by, e.g, smoking and obesity. Moreover, this excess mortality reflects even greater burdens of ill-health, blighting the lives of individuals, families and communities.
As the health, societal and economic impacts of long-term ill health continue to burgeon, pressures on NHS capacity and costs continue to mount, and health inequalities continue to widen, reducing the prevalence of potentially preventable conditions, especially among high-risk groups, has never been more urgent.
Source: The Kings Fund, 6 September 2023
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Tories defend £350K vaping boss donation
The Conservatives have defended accepting a donation from the chief executive of a company accused of marketing vapes to children.
They accepted a £350,000 donation from Supreme 8 Limited in May, records show.
The boss of Supreme 8 is Sandy Chadha, who is also the chief executive of Supreme PLC, which markets vapes.
A spokesperson for Supreme PLC said: "Supreme PLC or its subsidiaries does not and has not made political donations.
"We can however confirm that Sandy Chadha, Group CEO of Supreme PLC has, historically, donated funds to the Conservative Party.
"These donations are unrelated to Supreme PLC, of which Mr Chadha is a shareholder, and were funded directly by Mr Chadha."
A Tory spokesperson said: "We are not anti-vaping. It is one of the most effective ways to help people quit and smoking and our government encourages this switch.
"However, this government is taking meaningful steps to tackle vendors who sell vapes to children.
"This includes setting up an Illicit Vape Enforcement Squad, closing loopholes on giving out sample vapes, and launching a review into fines for selling these products to under-18s."
Source: BBC News, 10 September 2023
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Anti-vaping laws won't stub out tobacco titans
Tobacco companies were back in the spotlight last week as the backlash against vaping was reignited by startling statistics.
Official figures showed that one in six people aged 16 to 24 use e-cigarettes at least occasionally, up from one in nine in 2021, fueling fears that vapes are too appealing to young people.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously laid out plans to curb the rise of controversial youth vaping by closing a loophole that allows free samples to be given to children. He may also introduce rules banning child-friendly packaging for disposable vapes that have sweet flavours and garish boxes.
Concern about vaping, which was initially marketed as a way to get long-term smokers to move away from cigarettes, has already dealt a blow to the share prices of London-listed cigarette companies British American Tobacco (BAT) and Imperial Brands.
But analysts believe that in the long run, tighter restrictions on the industry could instead unleash its growth.
Owen Bennett, a global tobacco analyst at investment bank Jefferies, said: “Greater regulation would be positive for big tobacco.”
Tighter rules on the type of company that can operate in the UK would limit the amount of competition and drive out the cheaper, disposable brands, he explained.
The global vape and e-cigarette industry is worth an estimated £18 billion and could reach more than £130 billion by 2030.
A 2018 assessment by Public Health England found that vaping is at least 95 per cent less harmful than smoking, despite the long-term effects being largely uncertain.
Hazel Cheeseman, the deputy chief executive of campaign group Action on Smoking and Health, said that though regulation was needed to protect young people, it could lead to unexpected results. “A balance must be struck,” she said.
Source: Daily Mail, 9 September 2023
See also: ASH response to consultation: Youth vaping: call for evidence
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British American Tobacco to end sales in Russia within a month
British American Tobacco says it will sell its last cigarette in Russia within a month, ending its presence in the world’s fourth-largest tobacco market a year and a half after it first pledged to do so in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The London-based maker of Lucky Strike and Camel cigarettes came under fire in March last year after initially continuing to operate in Russia, breaking ranks with global brands such as Nestlé, Unilever, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.
The decision was reversed just two days later, with the company citing its “ethos and values”.
More than 18 months after that decision, BAT, which holds 25% of the Russian market, said it had finally reached an agreement to sell its Russian and Belarusian businesses to a group led by its Moscow management team.
BAT did not disclose how much it would receive for the sale, or whether the terms of the agreement included a clause that would allow it to buy the business back in future if sanctions on Moscow are lifted.
Source: The Guardian, 7 September 2023
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Parliamentary Questions
Asked by Helen Hayes, Labour, Dulwich and West Norwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of streamlining the process for making packaging changes on licensed smoking cessation products.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
No assessment has been made.
Source: Hansard, 7 September 2023
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Asked by Kirsten Oswald, Scottish National Party, East Renfrewshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of people under the age of 18 who vape.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Data on vaping is available at England level for those aged 11 to 15 through the 'NHS Smoking, Drinking and Drug use among Young People in England' publication. Current vaping prevalence among those aged 11 to 15 was 9% in 2021.
ASH survey data on youth vaping from 2023 shows a similar trend, with 7.6% of children aged 11 to 17 currently vaping.
More information on this survey is available at the following link: https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-great-britain
Source: Hansard, 7 September 2023
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Asked by Dan Carden, Labour, Liverpool, Walton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making the inclusion of advice on (a) how to quit smoking and (b) different methods of quitting smoking mandatory for all tobacco and nicotine-containing products.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
The Department provides a range of advice and support to help people quit smoking through campaigns such as Stoptober and information on the Better Health website, alongside our funding to local stop smoking services.
To help even more smokers quit, on 14 August 2023 the Department launched a public consultation across the United Kingdom on mandating quit information messages inside tobacco packs.
The accompanying draft impact assessment states that introducing pack inserts into all tobacco products in the UK could lead to an additional 30,000 smokers giving up their habit, delivering health benefits worth £1.6 billion.
The consultation and draft impact assessment are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/mandating-quit-information-messages-inside-tobacco-packs/mandating-quit-information-messages-inside-tobacco-packs-consultation
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Dan Carden, Labour, Liverpool, Walton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using digital technology to support access to stop smoking services.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
There is some evidence that digital health interventions can help people to stop smoking. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidelines in October 2020 recommending that digital interventions can be used as an option to support existing stop smoking services.
Further details are available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng183/chapter/Recommendations#smoking
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Dan Carden, Labour, Liverpool, Walton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) support access to and (b) provide funding for stop smoking services.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Adult smoking rates are at their lowest level in England at 12.7%. The public health grant continues to support local authorities to provide a range of public health services, including stop smoking services. Latest figures from 2021/22 show that we provided £68 million to local authority led Stop Smoking Services, with further reported spend of just under £12 million on wider tobacco control.
We continue to roll out the NHS Long Term Plan commitments for delivery of National Health Service tobacco dependence treatment services for those admitted to hospital and pregnant smokers. The NHS allocated £35 million spend over 2022/23 and will do so again this year.
To meet our ambition to be Smokefree by 2030, on 11 April 2023 the Government announced a range of new measures to help people quit smoking. This included a national Swap to Stop scheme to deliver one million vapes to help smokers quit, and a financial incentive scheme to support pregnant smokers to quit smoking.
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Mark Pawsey, Conservative, Rugby
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 11 April 2023, HCWS710, on Achieving Smokefree 2030: cutting smoking and stopping kids vaping, when his Department plans to create the illicit vapes enforcement squad.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
The new illicit vapes enforcement unit, led by National Trading Standards, is now operational. The two-year, £3 million funded project commenced work in early summer 2023. National Trading Standards is gathering data and intelligence, training staff, and bolstering capacity, and will begin field work operations in the coming weeks
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Mark Pawsey, Conservative, Rugby
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the £10,000 penalties for the sale of illicit tobacco products to illicit e-cigarettes.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
The current Track and Trace system only covers illicit tobacco. However, we are currently exploring a range of new measures to tackle illicit vapes as part of response to youth vaping call for evidence. We will publish our response to this shortly.
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Margaret Greenwood, Labour, Wirral West
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to estimate the long-term cost to the NHS of vaping.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
We have no current plans to make a long-term estimate. Evidence shows that whilst not risk-free, vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It is estimated that smoking costs the National Health Service £2.4 billion a year. Helping smokers quit smoking including using tools such as vaping is likely to save the NHS financial costs from the smoking burden.
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Margaret Greenwood, Labour, Wirral West
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential long-term effects of vaping on the health of people (a) under and (b) over the age of 18 in (i) Wirral and (ii) England.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
The Department has not made a specific assessment of this in the Wirral and England. However, in general the Department’s assessment of the safety of vaping is based upon a series of independent evidence reviews commissioned over the past several years. The most recent and final in the series, the 2022 Nicotine Vaping in England report, was published in September 2022.
The latest report focuses predominantly on the potential health risks of vaping, and concludes that in the short and medium term, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking, but that vaping is not risk-free, particularly for people who have never smoked.
The Government only recommends regulated vaping products to help adult smokers to quit smoking and vapes should not be used by people under 18 or people who have never smoked.
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Margaret Greenwood, Labour, Wirral West
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people (a) under and (b) over the age of 18 who vape in (i) Wirral and (ii) England.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Data is not available at local authority level, including in Wirral. However, data on vaping is available at England level for adults and children. The NHS Smoking, Drinking and Drug use among Young People in England publication shows current vaping prevalence among those aged 11 to 15 was 9% in 2021.
Data from the Office for National Statistics Adult smoking habits in the UK publication shows that in 2022 there were an estimated 3.8 million vapers over the age of 16.
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Kirsten Oswald, Scottish National Party, East Renfrewshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy to require outlets selling vaping products to cover them up from public view.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Nicotine vapes, including disposables, are regulated through the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016. These regulations protect children through restricting the sale of vapes to only people over the age of 18, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.
Every nicotine vape packet contains a health warning. Vapes can also only be advertised in certain media and with certain restrictions. More information on these restrictions is available at the following link: https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/22.html
While vaping is a preferable alternative to smoking for adults, we are concerned about the rise in youth vaping, particularly the increasing use of disposable vapes and the unknown long-term harms. Given the recent increases, the Government recently ran a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products.
The Government is currently considering a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulation. We intend to respond to the call for evidence in the coming weeks
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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Asked by Kirsten Oswald, Scottish National Party, East Renfrewshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy to restrict the advertising of disposable vaping products.
Answered by Neil O’Brien, Conservative, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Nicotine vapes, including disposables, are regulated through the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016. These regulations protect children through restricting the sale of vapes to only people over the age of 18, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.
Every nicotine vape packet contains a health warning. Vapes can also only be advertised in certain media and with certain restrictions. More information on these restrictions is available at the following link: https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/22.html
While vaping is a preferable alternative to smoking for adults, we are concerned about the rise in youth vaping, particularly the increasing use of disposable vapes and the unknown long-term harms. Given the recent increases, the Government recently ran a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products.
The Government is currently considering a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulation. We intend to respond to the call for evidence in the coming weeks.
Source: Hansard, 8 September 2023
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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