To be eligible, you must have smoked Twelve Pack-Years or the equivalent of a minimum of 87,600 cigarettes. This means that the number of cigarettes you smoked in a day multiplied by the number of days you smoked must equal 87,600 or more cigarettes.

Here are some examples of eligible smoking history:

• 20 cigarettes a day for 12 years (20 × 365 × 12 = 87,600 cigarettes);
• 10 cigarettes a day for 24 years (10 × 365 × 24 = 87,600 cigarettes);
• 10 cigarettes a day for 4 years, then 20 cigarettes a day for 6 years and, finally, 40 cigarettes a day for 2 years; or
• 10 cigarettes a day for 2 years, 20 cigarettes a day for 5 years, no cigarettes at all for one year and then 20 cigarettes a day for 6 years.

Only the cigarettes smoked between January 1, 1950 and November 20, 1998 can be calculated in your smoking history. This means that cigarettes smoked in the last 27 years do not count.

A pack-year is a way of measuring smoking history. It is based on American cigarette packs, which contain 20 cigarettes per pack – even though most Canadian packs have 25 cigarettes per pack.

We understand this can make calculating your smoking history confusing — especially since it may have been many years ago, and you're used to thinking in 25-cigarette packs.

Don’t worry. When it’s time to submit your claim, the PCC Agent will help you figure out your relevant smoking history. You may also find this cigarette calculator helpful.

A primary cancer is a medical term referring to the original site where the cancer first develops – the organ or tissue where the cancer began.

A secondary cancer or metastatic cancer are medical terms used when the cancer has spread from its original site to other organs or tissues in the body

For example, Primary Lung Cancer means the cancer started in the Lungs. This is different from a case where cancer begins in another part of the body — like the kidney — and later spreads to the lungs. In that case, the lung cancer is considered secondary, not primary.

In this example, even though cancer cells may have developed in the lungs, the cancer is NOT considered a primary lung cancer. It is a primary kidney cancer and is therefore not covered under the PCC Compensation Plan.

The term “throat” is regularly used, but it is not a medical term and it does not describe a specific part of the body. What we commonly call “throat” actually refers to different parts of the upper aerodigestive tract.

The PCC Compensation Plan provides compensation to those diagnosed with primary squamous cell cancers of the larynx, oropharynx or hypopharynx.

The term “larynx” refers to the upper part of the respiratory passage (i.e. the top of your windpipe) (trachea). It can also be called the “voice box”.

The term “oropharynx” refers to the middle part of the throat. Specifically, the pharynx below the soft palate and above the epiglottis, and continuous with the mouth. It includes the soft palate, the side and back walls of the throat, the tonsils and the back third of the tongue. Note: The front two-thirds of the tongue – also called the “body of the tongue” – are not part of the oropharynx. They are part of the oral cavity instead.

The term “hypopharynx” refers to the lower part of the throat, located below the oropharynx, extending from the hyoid bone (in the neck) to the lower margin of the cricoid cartilage, where it connects with the voice box (larynx) and windpipe.

If you are unsure where the throat cancer originated, register anyway.