Oncology Healthcare Providers‘ Pivotal role in Smoking Cessation and Relapse Prevention

Abstract

341 ISSN 1758-1966 10.2217/LMT.13.37 © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd Lung Cancer Manage. (2013) 2(5), 341–343 An accumulating body of research documents the myriad of potential negative health consequences for cancer patients who continue to smoke. For lung cancer patients, these outcomes may include an increased risk of developing a second primary tumor [1], cancer recurrence [2] and decreased survival [3]. Additional acute effects of continued smoking include worse wound healing, increased risk of infection and a reduced cancer treatment efficacy [4]. Research also suggests that cancer patients who smoke have a reduced quality of life [5]. Given the strong evidence demonstrating the negative effects of smoking on cancer outcomes, there is a critical need to address smoking cessation and smoking relapse prevention in the oncology setting. A recent survey by the National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers revealed that fewer than half of the respondents reported having an employee dedicated to providing tobacco treatment services [6]. With a few exceptions, the resources and treatment models for smoking cessation across cancer centers are currently inadequate [7]. Given the limited resources of many cancer hospitals, such as the absence of a sufficient number of tobacco treatment specialists on staff, one important avenue for improving cancer patient outcomes is to consider the unrealized potential of healthcare providers for influencing smoking behavior. Indeed, there has been a growing recognition of the essential role that health providers can play. In fact, in a recently launched national media campaign by the Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC (GA, USA), the widely disseminated Tips from Former Smokers (TIPS) campaign directly encourages the involvement of physicians with the tagline, ‘Talk with your doctor for help’. The goal behind this initiative is to encourage both patients and providers to engage in more frequent conversations about smoking cessation [8]. Healthcare provider influence on health behaviors such as smoking may be particularly potent in the oncology setting for several reasons. First, cancer represents a time of uncertainty during which patients seek provider support and guidance [9]. Second, the oncology setting presents a unique opportunity to provide patients with tailored information regarding health risks and recommended behavior change related to their current cancer diagnosis and treatment and, specifically, to frame quitting