Lung cancer: nearly 50% of patients resume smoking after surgery

More a patient with metastatic non-small cell delay time for start smoking after surgery, the more likely will be large abstinent at 12 months after surgery, according to a study published in " Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. "

Patients with lung cancer non-small cell who continue to smoke after the announcement of their diagnosis have an increased risk of relapse, but also reduced complications and their treatment effectiveness. However, between 13 and 60% of patients continue to use tobacco after their diagnosis, say the authors of the study in the introduction to their article.

Mark Walker, from Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, USA) and colleagues conducted a study of 154 patients with metastatic non-small cell early and smoking during the three months prior to surgery. The volunteers were followed for 12 months after surgery to assess the duration of their tobacco abstinence during this period.

Their results indicate that 43% of patients started smoking at least once after surgery, and 37% smoked at 12 months. Among patients who started smoking, 60% did so during the first 2 months after surgery.

Risk factors associated with relapse of tobacco include a short period of abstinence before the operation, a strong psychological addiction to smoking, lower income and a higher level of education. Finally, patients who waited longer to start smoking after surgery showed the most likely to be abstinent at the 12-month assessment.

Nearly half of patients with lung cancer have started smoking after surgery. These results suggest that preventive measures should specifically target patients retard most smoking cessation between their diagnosis and surgery and should be conducted as soon as possible after the operation, the authors conclude.