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Updated: Jul 2, 2026
06:53
Cell Population Analyses During Skin Carcinogenesis
Published on: August 21, 2013
Smoking Prevalence and Cessation in Skin Cancer Survivors
Courtney A Smith1, Andrew Cheng2, Cam Escoffery3
1David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 19, 2026
Summary
Smoking is common among skin cancer survivors, with low cessation rates after diagnosis. Dermatologists can help by offering targeted smoking cessation interventions to improve outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Dermatology
Background:
- Smoking negatively impacts skin cancer prognosis.
- Smoking cessation behaviors post-skin cancer diagnosis are not well understood.
- This study compares smoking and cessation in skin versus internal cancer survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare smoking prevalence and cessation rates among skin cancer survivors and internal cancer survivors.
- To identify opportunities for smoking cessation interventions in cancer care.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 2003-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.
- Inclusion of adults (20+) with self-reported skin cancer (non-melanoma skin cancer or melanoma) or internal cancer history.
- Serum cotinine used to confirm smoking status; age-standardized prevalence and logistic regression used for comparisons.
Main Results:
- Among 3,711 cancer survivors, 29.6% were skin cancer survivors.
- Smoking prevalence at diagnosis was similar between skin (29.7%) and internal cancer survivors (42.3%).
- Post-diagnosis smoking cessation rates were low and did not differ significantly between skin cancer survivors (18.1%) and internal cancer survivors (18.7%).
Conclusions:
- Smoking is prevalent at the time of skin cancer diagnosis.
- Low smoking cessation rates observed across all skin cancer types.
- Targeted smoking cessation interventions by dermatologists and clinic staff are recommended for skin cancer survivors.
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