title: Tobacco and alcohol use after head and neck cancer treatment: influence of the type of oncological treatment employed.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the cigarette smoking and alcohol intake maintenance rate in patients treated for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and to compare the observed outcome with the type of oncological treatment employed.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and ten patients treated for high aero-digestive tract squamous cell carcinoma were included and divided into a surgical group, treated with a surgery, and a medical group, treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation. The patients were interviewed to determine whether or not they had persisted with the smoking and drinking behavior after treatment. The habit maintenance rate was compared with the treatment modality employed. The relationship between the oncological status of the patients and the cigarette smoking and alcohol intake rates found was also tested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among smokers, 35% maintained the habit after treatment. The medical group had a significantly higher percentage of patients maintaining smoking compared with the surgical group (58.3% vs 25.0%; p = 0.004). Among alcohol users, 16.6% kept drinking alcoholic beverages, with a percentage also shown higher for the medical group (23.8% vs 13,3%), but with no statistically significant difference. The oncological status of patients was not related to the maintenance of the habits studied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking and alcoholism maintenance rates are high after head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is treated, especially if we consider smoking in patients treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation. A more effective multidisciplinary approach is required in order to obtain better rates of tobacco and alcohol quitting, especially in patients undergoing non-surgical treatments.
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil. pintofr@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Fábio Roberto
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Leandro Luongo de
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.forename: Wagner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gumz Segundo
authors.forename: Christiana Maria Ribeiro Salles
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vanni
authors.forename: Denise Santos
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Jossi Ledo
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kanda
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020340:Tobacco Use Cessation