To review cigarette smoking among patients referred to the Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre (NEORCC). Database analysis of the smoking history information for patients referred to the NEORCC from 1991-1999 was performed. Data was available for 15,850 patients and 72.7% reported being either current or previous smokers. Approximately 24.5% of patients were still smoking and 7.8% had quit within the last year. Smoking rates and total consumption were highest among those patients with cancers arising in the lung, bladder, esophagus and head & neck regions. The percentage of patients reporting a history of smoking remained consistently high over the time period studied. Cigarette smoking rates are high among NEORCC patients and strategies to improve the situation are required.