Tobacco: half of patients who smoke continue to smoke after being diagnosed with cancer

Half of smokers patients continue to smoke after being diagnosed with cancer, despite the negative impact on the effectiveness of treatment, according to results of a study published in the journal "Cancer".

Many studies have shown the negative impact of tobacco on the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Moreover, the motivation increasing smoking cessation after a diagnosis of cancer, health professionals would do well to seize the opportunity this time to help their patients quit smoking.

Ellen Gritz, the University of Texas (USA) and colleagues analyzed existing studies on the subject in order to assess the state of knowledge on smoking cessation interventions for cancer patients.

Their results confirm that the continued use of tobacco after a diagnosis of cancer, has negative effects for the patient in terms of treatment efficacy, particularly of radiotherapy and surgery, overall survival, quality of life and risk of developing other cancers.

Scientists show that patients who stopped smoking at the time of diagnosis, have better chances of survival and recovery. "By offering patients to quit smoking at the time of cancer diagnosis, we could reach a tobacco cessation rates by 70% while it rises to only 20% in the general population," said Ellen Gritz in a press release from the University of Texas.

Despite this, nearly half of patients who smoke continue to smoke or relapse after a cessation attempt, after a diagnosis of cancer.

The study authors also emphasize that the recommendations and the existing tools developed for smoking cessation smoking in the general population are not suitable for patients with cancer.

The studies were conducted on smokers with cancer suggest the key role of the health professional in smoking cessation rates.

"Although encouraging results have been offered by some examples of interventions for smoking cessation in patients with cancer, few empirical studies have been conducted to evaluate such interventions," the authors say.

"Despite the importance of smoking cessation for cancer patients, the time of diagnosis is not sufficiently exploited by health professionals to encourage their patients to quit smoking," they conclude.

Another study published in the journal "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention" emphasizes the need to differentiate the results of clinical studies evaluating the treatment of cancer, obtained in non-smoking patients and patients who smoke tobacco may influence negatively.