title: Smoking Cessation and Electronic Cigarette Use among Head and Neck Cancer Patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) Investigate electronic cigarette (e-cig) use among head and neck (HN) cancer patients; (2) define quit methods, success, motivations, and barriers to smoking cessation; and (3) determine the impact of e-cig use in smoking cessation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care center.
  
  
  METHODS
  An in-office survey was administered to HN cancer patients ≥ 19 years of age with past/present tobacco use. Patient demographics were collected. Quit methods, success, and motivations/barriers were surveyed. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was used to correlate alcohol use and cessation. Independent variables associated with cessation were studied with Fisher's exact test and Student's t test. Subgroup analysis was performed for e-cig users.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 110 eligible patients, 106 (96%) enrolled (83% male, 82% Caucasian), of whom 69 (65%) successfully quit. Age of first tobacco use did not differ between the smoking and cessation groups (P = .14), nor did hazardous drinking (30% smoking vs 14% cessation; P = .072). "Cold turkey" (ie, stopping abruptly without smoking cessation aids) was the most common method attempted (n = 88, 83%) and most successful (n = 65, 94%). There was no statistical difference in age, sex, race, drinking, or socioeconomic status between e-cig users and nonusers. Nonusers achieved higher quit rates as compared with e-cig users (72% vs 39%; P = .0057). E-cig use did not decrease the number of cigarettes smoked (463 cigarettes/month) versus that of nonusers (341 cigarettes/month; P = .2). Seventy percent of e-cig users wore a nicotine patch.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HN cancer patients desire smoking cessation. E-cig did not decrease tobacco use, and patients who utilize e-cigs are less likely to achieve smoking cessation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McQueen
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Erin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Partington
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Critical Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Harrington
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Eben L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA cschmalb@iu.edu.
authors.forename: Cecelia E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schmalbach
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: electronic cigarette; head and neck cancer; smoking cessation