Tobacco-Caused Deaths Projected to Increase Further

Tobacco kills about six million people each year throughout the world.A British medical journal reports that the number of cancer cases could rise by 75 percent by the year 2030 - and most are expected in developing countries.

Virtually all experts on tobacco use recognize it as the single most preventable cause of death worldwide. At the American Cancer Society, Nathan Grey focuses on global health issues.

"Each year, tobacco kills about six million people throughout the world, and by 2030, that's projected to grow to about eight million people," he said.

Grey was one of the authors of a report published in the British medical journal, The Lancet. The report projects cancer rates to rise by 75 percent worldwide in less than 20 years.

"It's staggering.  Six million deaths every year. There's no reason for any one of those deaths," said Joanna Cohen, who heads the Institute for Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.