The Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association210 PersPectives Tobacco Related Cancer Disparities: Community Perspective

Tobacco use is the most common cause of cancer in the United States and worldwide.1,2,3 Americans have long been aware of the adverse consequences of tobacco usage on health; however, rates of smoking remain higher than desired, and the effects of tobacco are particularly severe in African-American commu-nities—as the three articles point out.1,2,3 Data from the South Carolina African American Tobacco Control Network (www. scaatcn.org) and other sources (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveil-lance System and the American Cancer Society) indicate that approximately 45,000 African Americans die from a preventable smoke-related disease annually in the US. In South Carolina, 24.9 % of African Americans are current smokers, approximately 5,900 people die each year as a result of tobacco use. In addi-tion, it is estimated that 640 to 1,130 South Carolina adults, chil-dren, and babies die each year from secondhand smoke. Despit