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Smoking withdrawal and relapse in head and neck cancer patients
E R Gritz1, C Schacherer, L Koehly
1Department of Behavioral Science, Box 243, UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030-4095, USA.
Background:
Smoking withdrawal and relapse were characterized among newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients participating in a physician-delivered smoking cessation intervention.
Methods:
Patients completed questionnaires at baseline, 1, 6, and 12 months following intervention delivery.
Results:
Significant baseline predictors of smoking relapse included medical treatment (XRT versus surgical treatment), stage of change/readiness to quit (precontemplators), age of initiation (younger), and greater addiction (smoking
Conclusion:
Assistance with cessation efforts should be ongoing for one year and should include nicotine replacement therapy and psychotropic medications to address significant relapse triggers.