Smoking Cessation in Cancer Care: Myths, Presumptions and Implications for Practice

Continued tobacco use adversely affects cancer treatment outcomes. Specifically, continued smoking by cancer patients can accelerate disease progression, result in decreased overall and disease-specific survival, as well as increase the risk of disease recurrence and developing second cancers. Smoking can also result in an increased risk of surgical complications, including infections, poor wound healing and pulmonary complications. Continued smoking while receiving radiation therapy can increase risks of side-effects, reduce the chances of a complete response to radiation treatment and shorten survival. During chemotherapy, smoking can result in reduced treatment efficacy and exacerbate side-effects. Despite these adverse effects, about 20% of cancer patients report that they currently use tobacco, even after a diagnosis of cancer.