AACR Tobacco and Cancer Policy Statement 4-13-2010

Stemming the global tide of tobacco-related death and suffering

Evidence against tobacco use is “clear, incontrovertible, and convincing,” the American Association for Cancer Research stated on April 13, 2010.

“Tobacco and Cancer: An American Association for Cancer Research Policy Statement” makes “an unequivocal call to all who are concerned about public health to take…immediate steps.” It was developed by the AACR Task Force on Tobacco and Cancer and is freely available on the AACR website.

The statement identifies recommendations for research and policy, including:

• Evidence-based regulation of tobacco products. Particularly in light of the FDA’s recently granted regulatory authority over tobacco products, the AACR urges FDA and regulatory authorities worldwide to be fully integrated into the research and public health infrastructures and recommends that research and advocacy communities support the FDA in its efforts.
• New evidence-based strategies to prevent initiation, foster cessation, and communicate health information.
• Increased investment in tobacco-related research, better collection of data regarding specific tobacco products and their impact, and new policies to reduce tobacco-related disparities.
• Special attention to the issue of tobacco-related disparities, including rates and ages of tobacco initiation and use, access to cessation treatment, and health consequences like cancer. 

The menthol issue

In highlighting the unequal distribution of the burden of tobacco use across different classes, races, ethnicities, and geographies, the report addresses the issue of menthol. A cigarette additive marketed for its physiological effects as an anti-irritant and a cooling agent, menthol was explicitly excluded from the September 2009 United States ban on characterizing flavors in cigarettes.

According to tobacco industry documents, menthol is marketed specifically to youth, young adults, women, and African Americans. There is also evidence that menthol helps sustain tobacco use, possibly contributing to the higher dependence levels and greater health burden found among African American smokers. The AACR report suggests that a significant body of research literature on the issue should help inform a policy banning menthol.

The new policy statement was developed by the AACR Task Force on Tobacco and Cancer. It is freely available on the AACR website in advance of print publication in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.