Smoking Cessation Basics: An Essential Component of Radiation Therapy Clinical Practice

Tobacco addiction is among the top preventable health risks to combat cancer. Smoking is responsible for almost 30% of cancer deaths in Canada; it increases the risk of developing cancers of the lung, mouth, throat, larynx, cervix, pancreas, esophagus, colon, rectum, kidney, and bladder and in acute myeloid leukemia. Nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke are also at higher risk of developing lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. More than 300 nonsmokers die from lung cancer each year due to second-hand smoke. Smoking cessation programs can improve overall health and quality of life for cancer survivors. Most cancer patients would like to quit smoking, but they find it difficult. Advice and support from health care professionals can increase success. A cancer diagnosis may be the impetus required for patients to make that positive change in their lives. Studies have shown that continued smoking while receiving radiation therapy limits treatment efficacy. Additionally, smoking interferes with chemotherapy and can negatively affect wound healing. Smoking cessation is an evidence-based program; patients who quit smoking are less likely to experience recurrence of disease or additional primary cancers. Even brief interventions may be what the patient needs to assess the benefits of quitting. Many cancer health care professionals do not feel prepared to discuss smoking cessation with their patients. A large number of cancer patients survive more than 5 years past their diagnosis, making smoking cessation an even more important focus in long-term disease management and improving the length and quality of life for these patients. The aim of this directed reading is to assist radiation therapists to support their patients who smoke and integrate smoking cessation into clinical practice.