Facilitating smoking cessation: the nurse's role

Smoking has been implicated in the pathogenesis of head and neck cancer. Patients who continue to smoke after head and neck cancer therapy are at an increased risk for second primary cancers, recurrences, poorer response to therapy, and possibly shortened survival. Approximately 30% of cancer patients resume smoking within the first year after cancer therapy. The purposes of this article are to discuss the perils of smoking for the head and neck cancer patient who has undergone treatment and to examine the role of the nurse in assisting with smoking cessation. Smoking cessation among head and neck cancer patients is complicated by possible functional or psychological deficiencies. Some methods for assisting patients to cease smoking can be incorporated into nursing practice and suggestions on how to implement them are presented.