Smoking prevention in childhood cancer survivors

In the year 2000, there may be 220,000 adult survivors of childhood cancer. This creates new emphasis on the health of long-term survivors. The oncology team is responsible for educating patients about methods of modifiable risk reduction for the development of cancer. Smoking is the single most avoidable risk factor implicated in the development of cancer, yet survivors of childhood cancer have been found to smoke at the same rate as their peers. Nurses play a key role in developing patients' knowledge, beliefs and skills to avoid smoking behaviors.