Cancer patients and smoking cessation

Abstract

Abstinence from smoking is the most important element of cancer prevention. Tobacco smoking is responsible for at least 15 different types of cancer and almost 30% of all cancer deaths. There is evidence that not only does smo­king after a cancer diagnosis pose negative effects for cancer treatment efficacy and tolerability, but quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis has significant benefits. They include: increased survival rates and decrease overall mortality, decreased risk of another primary cancer, decreased risk of recurrence, increased tolerance to oncological treatments and increase of its efficacy, reduced pain. Quitting smoking improves quality of life too. Nicotine dependence is not only a patient’s choice and lifestyle element but a chronic and relapsing disease. Failure to undertaken nicotine dependence treatment by the centre’s staff may be treated as malpractice. Various evidence-based treatment options are available and they can, or even should, be adapted to the specificity of oncological patients.

Keywords

• cancer prevention
• nicotine dependence
• tobacco smoking
• smoking cessation
• cancer patients