Author of

• 12848

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  P3.23 - Poster Session 3 - Tobacco Control, Prevention and Chemoprevention (ID 164)

  • Event: WCLC 2013
  • Type: Poster Session
  • Track: Prevention & Epidemiology
  • Presentations: 1
  • Moderators:
  • Coordinates: 10/30/2013, 09:30 - 16:30, Exhibit Hall, Ground Level

  • 12849

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    P3.23-001 - The clinical significance of smoking cessation in patients with cancer (ID 342)

    09:30 - 09:30  |  Author(s): E. Florou
    • Abstract

    Background
    Despite the established causal relationship between tobacco smoking and cancer many cancer patients continue to smoke after diagnosis. This partly reflects the ignorance of the beneficial effects of smoking cessation even after diagnosis. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the effect of continuing or quitting smoking in patients with diagnosed cancer.

    Methods
    This study is based on a review of medical databases (Pub Med CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library) of the last thirty years. All articles included in the present analysis were in English.

    Results
    In patients with early stage lung cancer, continued smoking after diagnosis is associated with an increased risk of all cause mortality and decreased survival. Research has demonstrated significant difference in actuarial overall survival favoring the non-smoking group among patients with lung cancer. In patients with oral cancer smoking cessation or reduction leads to a significant reduction in mortality. There is also evidence that tobacco smoking exacerbates and prolongs radiotherapy induced complications.Of particular importance is the evidence that continued smoking is associated with adverse effects during anticancer treatment. Smoking increases tumor progression and resistance to chemotherapy due to nicotine-induced resistance to apoptosis by modulating mitochondrial signaling. Continuing smoking is also related with inferior outcomes during treatment with novel targeted therapies such as erlotinib. Continuing smoking in gastric and lung cancer patients is also associated with an increased risk of developing second primary tumors. Quitting smoking after lung cancer diagnosis is associated with better performance status while persistent smokers have worse overall quality of life. Patients who continued to smoke despite being diagnosed with cancer report more severe pain than never smokers and a greater interference from pain.

    Conclusion
    Continuing smoking after cancer diagnosis is related with reduced treatment efficacy and reduced survival, risk for more secondary malignancies and deterioration in quality of life.