European Code Against Cancer, 5th edition – tobacco and nicotine containing products, second‐hand smoke, alcohol and cancer
IARC / European Commission (ECAC5) · 2026 · Europe
Source and licence
- Authors
- Ariadna Feliu, Annie S. Anderson, Linda Bauld et al.
- Title
- European Code Against Cancer, 5th edition – tobacco and nicotine containing products, second‐hand smoke, alcohol and cancer
- Journal
- Molecular Oncology, 2026
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Changes
- Verbatim excerpts; formatting adapted
Full text retrieved 2026-10-27 from Europe PMC · PMC12809474
Licence statement of the original publication
This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This page reproduces excerpts of the original publication; the original is authoritative. It has not been reviewed by a physician, does not state a recommendation of Medelix and does not replace medical advice. The guideline may have been updated since.
Open the original publication →Full text on Europe PMC
Recommendations
We found no explicitly labelled recommendations in this publication; its recommendations are in the running text of the original.
Abstract
Tobacco use, second‐hand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure and alcohol consumption are well‐established carcinogens and major public health concerns. In the European Union (EU), tobacco and alcohol use are the leading preventable causes of cancer and four other major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), significantly contributing to NCD‐related morbidity and mortality. Despite declining prevalence, consumption of these substances is still high in the region, especially among the most deprived. There is strong evidence that quitting smoking, minimising exposure to SHS and eliminating or reducing alcohol intake substantially lowers the risk of cancer. Comprehensive public health strategies at both the individual and population level are crucial to prevent cancer and other NCDs. Scientific evidence leads to two recommendations for individual action on tobacco in the European Code Against Cancer, 5th edition: (1) ‘Do not smoke. Do not use any form of tobacco, or vaping products. If you smoke, you should quit’; and (2) ‘Keep your home and car free of tobacco smoke’; and one on alcohol: (3) ‘Avoid alcoholic drinks’.
Contents of the original publication
The section headings of the original.
- Introduction
- Prevalence of use of tobacco and nicotine‐containing products, exposure to second‐hand tobacco smoke and alcohol consumption within the EU
- Cancer burden in the EU attributable to tobacco, second‐hand tobacco smoke and alcohol
- Recommendations for individuals
- Scientific justification for updating the recommendations in ECAC5
- Cobenefits for prevention of non‐communicable diseases other than cancer with similar risk factors and opportunities for health promotion
- Recommendations for policymakers
- Tobacco‐ and nicotine‐containing products and exposure to second‐hand tobacco smoke
- Alcohol consumption
- Conclusions
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