The characteristics of patients who quit smoking in the year following a cancer diagnosis

Abstract

Purpose: Continued tobacco smoking following a cancer diagnosis is associated with adverse outcomes. Our study aims to identify the demographic and clinical characteristics of survivors who quit smoking within a year of diagnosis.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the Measuring Your Health (MY-Health) study, a community-based survey cohort of 5506 cancer patients registered across four Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries. Using surveys completed 6-13 months after diagnosis, we identified 868 participants who reported smoking around the time of cancer diagnosis and compared their current smoking status. We employed logistic regression models to predict current smoking status, adjusting for clinical and demographic variables.

Results: The overall smoking cessation rate was 35% (n = 306). Survivors with non-small cell lung cancer were three times more likely to quit smoking compared to patients with non-smoking-related cancers (aOR = 3.23, 95% CI = 2.20-4.74). Participants with advanced stage cancer reported higher odds of quitting compared to those with localized cancer (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.02-1.96). Other characteristics that predicted quitting included being married, higher education level, and female sex (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.46-2.77; aOR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.27-2.39; aOR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.11-2.13, respectively).

Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to examine smoking cessation trends in a community-based, US cancer cohort during the year after diagnosis. Survivors with lung cancer and advanced cancer were significantly more likely to quit smoking.

Implications for cancer survivors: Practitioners may use this knowledge to target interventions and address substantial disparities in cessation rates among survivors with early stage and non-lung cancers.

Keywords: Cancer; Lung cancer; Smoking; Smoking cessation; Teachable moment.