Contemporary perspectives in tobacco cessation: what oncologists need to know

Within the last 5 years there has been a large outgrowth of smoking cessation research, largely encouraged by the release of the 1996 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. These federal guidelines published by the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research offered comprehensive empirical evidence that tobacco cessation interventions are effective and encouraged routine implementation within medical settings. Since that time, numerous studies in tobacco cessation have augmented the state of knowledge regarding successful smoking intervention modalities. Unfortunately, approximately one-third of cancer-related deaths continue to be attributed to smoking behaviors. It is imperative that health care providers encourage and participate in the smoking cessation efforts of their patients and family members. This article provides a review of the current literature in smoking cessation and describes first-line therapies with proven effectiveness in tobacco cessation. Clinicians are encouraged to consistently screen for tobacco use and provide brief interventions utilizing behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapies to treat their patients' tobacco dependence.