Cigarette smoking patterns in patients after treatment of upper aerodigestive tract cancers.
There is a paucity of data on variables predictive of successful smoking cessation in cancer patients. In this questionnaire-based study, we report the smoking status of 75 patients (46 men, 29 women) with head and neck cancer followed for a minimum of 30 months after definitive therapy. Seventy-one percent of the men and 61% of the women who were current smokers at diagnosis stopped smoking subsequent to diagnosis and treatment. Only 29% and 39%, respectively, continued to smoke, most at decreased intensity. Patients with laryngeal cancer were most likely to have stopped (83%). Conversely, patients with oral cavity cancer were most likely to be continuing smokers (66%). In addition, older age, college education, and lighter smoking habits were somewhat predictive of successful cessation. Fear of recurrent disease and physician advice were the questionnaire-listed incentives most often chosen as contributing to success in cessation. The role health professionals can play in counseling cancer patients to stop smoking is stressed.
Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
M R
MR
Spitz
J J
JJ
Fueger
R M
RM
Chamberlain
H
H
Goepfert
G R
GR
Newell
D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention