There are many milestones in the war on cancer worth celebrating — from precision treatment plans tailored to a patient’s genome, to immunotherapies that harness the body’s own immune system, to surgical advances that remove tumors with minimal recovery time.
Just weeks ago, the American Cancer Society reported that nearly 70% of cancer patients are alive five years after diagnosis. A few decades ago, that number was closer to 50%. Step away from the statistics for a moment and personalize that progress: imagine a loved one who is still with us today because of research. Or, more grimly, the mother, father, spouse, child, or neighbor lost too soon before those advances were possible.
Despite this progress, there is still much more work to do. And some of the most powerful cancer breakthroughs don’t begin with treatment at all. More than half of all cancers can be prevented through healthy behaviors — regular physical activity, nutritious diets, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing exposure to known carcinogens such as radon and tobacco. Among these, one of the most impactful lifesaving efforts has been the decades-long push to reduce tobacco use. In fact, the reduction in smoking since the 1960s has saved 3.8 million lives through lung cancer deaths averted according to a study published last year in the peer-reviewed Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
At Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, prevention is central to our mission to reduce the burden of cancer. The evidence is clear: when we prevent tobacco use, or when people have access to cessation resources, tobacco use declines — and lives are saved. One of the most effective tools to prevent tobacco use is surprisingly simple: taxes. Decades of evidence show that a 10% increase in cigarette and tobacco product taxes reduces adult smoking rates by 3–5% and youth smoking rates by 7%. These policies work because they prevent addiction before it begins and help motivate current users to quit.
Utah is long overdue for action. The state’s last tobacco tax increase passed in 2010. Today, Utah ranks among the bottom half of states for cigarette tax rates, and even though we have the lowest smoking rate in the country, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among our fellow Utahns.
We commend the Legislature for considering an increase in Utah’s tobacco tax, and particularly Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, and Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, for their leadership.
At Huntsman Cancer Institute, every effort we make is designed to reduce the suffering caused by cancer. We deliver science-powered medicine with compassion. But our ultimate aspiration is a world without cancer — and that future depends on preventing cancer before it starts.
Increasing tobacco taxes is one of the most proven, effective strategies we have to make that vision a reality.
Neli Ulrich is executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
David Wetter is senior director for Cancer Health Implementation and Director of the Center for HOPE at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.