"Stop smoking!" Do we say it enough?

Patients who continue to smoke after the diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma (BC) experience increased rates of morbidity and mortality. Evidence suggests that smokers are more likely to quit if they are counseled by their physicians. However, there may be a prevailing belief among physicians that treating tobacco dependence is futile in this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physicians addressed smoking cessation with patients who were diagnosed with BC.

A retrospective medical record review of patients who were diagnosed with BC between 2008 and 2010 was conducted at a community medical center using the hospital cancer registry. Demographic information including age, race, sex, stage, and smoking status at the time of diagnosis was collected. Evidence of tobacco cessation counseling was sought through billing codes, physician notes, and orders surrounding the time of diagnosis.

A total of 948 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer between 2008 and 2010; 438 were current smokers at diagnosis, and only 36% were counseled on smoking cessation. On average, each patient encountered three different physicians in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Of note, patients with stage I disease were 1.7× more likely to be counseled than those with stage IV disease (P=.017).

Despite evidence that smoking cessation is beneficial even after the diagnosis of BC, physicians are not counseling their patients sufficiently. With the implementation of quality improvement programs, we expect smoking cessation counseling for patients with BC will improve.