You might imagine that for most smokers, a cancer diagnosis would be a significant enough diagnosis to prompt them to quit the habit once and for all. However, breaking the addition to nicotine is an extremely difficult task and many individuals find that it is next to impossible to do so. Not only is nicotine a highly addictive substance physically, it also provides mental benefits to individuals when they are feeling stressed, pressured, or are just wanting to relax.

A new study conducted jointly by Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital concluded that this is indeed true as many cancer patients struggle with quitting smoking after cancer diagnosis with lung or colorectal cancer, violating the orders of their doctors. The results of the study were published on January 23rd in the medical journal Cancer.

14% of Lung Cancer Patients Continue Smoking, Study Finds

The study involved a total over 5,500 cancer patients, including 3,063 with colorectal cancer and 2,456 with lung cancer. The patients’ smoking habits were assessed at the time of diagnosis and again five months later.

Immediately after diagnosis, it was found that 14% of colorectal patients and 39% of lung patients were currently smoking.

When assessments were performed after five months, it was determined that 9% of colorectal patients and 14% of lung patients were continuing to smoke cigarettes.

The data suggests that colorectal patients are more likely than lung cancer patients to continue smoking after diagnosis, probably because colorectal patients assume continuing their habits will have less impact on their disease.

The data also indicates that doctors should be more adamant about the importance of stopping smoking when they’re diagnosing a patient with any type of cancer. At the same time, it shows just how addictive cigarettes can be even to those whose lives they directly endanger.

Continuing Smokers had Statistical Similarities

On average, the lung cancer patients who kept smoking after five months of assessment had a few things in common:

• They had Medicare or another type of public health insurance

• They had relatively little emotional support

• They had a lower BMI (body mass index) than their peers

• They were heavier smokers at some previous point in their lives as compared to those who stopped smoking at or before diagnosis

Colorectal patients also had a few statistical similarities:

• They usually had no health insurance

• They were less educated

• They were typically male

• They were also heavier smokers than those who quit at or before diagnosis

The Importance of Quitting Smoking After Diagnosis

According to researcher Elyse Park, one of the authors of the study, it’s extremely important to stop smoking after any kind of cancer diagnosis, not just lung cancer. Park says that continuing to smoke can reduce the effectiveness of cancer treatments, increase the chances of the cancer advancing, and ultimately reduce your chances of survival.

Dr. Caroyln Dressler, a researcher at the Arkansas Department of Health who was not involved with study, said that the findings highlight just how crucial it is for medical professionals to stress the importance of smoking cessation immediately after the diagnosis, not weeks or months down the road.

According to Dressler, most doctors already understand how important it is to offer these types of suggestions to their patients. She said that many effective tobacco cessation programs have been developed, but that they’re underutilized even by cancer patients. Dressler hopes that doctors will do a better job of directing patients to these programs, and encouraging them to stick with them, in the future.

Quitting Smoking After Cancer Diagnosis: The Bottom Line

Up to 14% of lung cancer patients continue to smoke even five months after receiving a diagnosis. Researchers believe that doctors need to do a better job of directing new cancer patients to effective smoking treatment programs designed to help them quit and minimize the chances of a relapse.

Continuing to smoke after being diagnosed with cancer can lead to all types of additional health complications, including a decrease in the ability of the treatments to effectively fight the cancer and a lower probability of being able to survival the actual disease.