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Cancer Diagnosis and Smoking Cessation Rates
Quit rates not altered by cancer type or stage
A cancer diagnosis can be a strong motivator for sustained smoking cessation, regardless of the type of cancer, according to a study of approximately 25,000 smokers included in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition cohort.
Researchers compared quit rates of smokers who were diagnosed with those who were not and found 2- and 4-year quit rates were significantly higher among those with a cancer diagnosis, as follows:
| Cancer diagnosis | No diagnosis | |
| 2-year quit rate | 31.3% | 19.5% |
| 4-year quit rate | 43.0% | 33.8% |
The results were similar by type of cancer and stage. Study authors suggest that a cancer diagnosis presents a teachable moment that can be capitalized on to promote quitting smoking.
Citation: Westmaas JL, Newton CC, Stevens VL, Flanders WD, Gapstur SM, Jacobs EJ. Does a recent cancer diagnosis predict smoking cessation? An analysis from a large prospective US cohort. J Clin Oncol. 2015. pii: JCO.2014.58.3088.