Abstract
BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation is essential after the diagnosis of cancer to enhance clinical outcomes. Although effective smoking-cessation treatments are available, <50% of smokers with cancer report receiving treatment. Reasons for the low dissemination of such treatment are unclear. METHODS: Data were collected from questionnaires and medical record reviews from 160 smokers or recent quitters with lung or head and neck cancer. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, and logistic regression were used in the analyses. The median age of participants was 57 years, 63% (n = 101) were men, 93% (n = 149) were white, and 57% (n = 91) had lung cancer. RESULTS: Eight-six percent (n = 44) of smokers and 75% (n = 82) of recent quitters reported that healthcare providers gave advice to quit smoking. Sixty-five percent (n = 33) of smokers and 47% (n = 51) of recent quitters reported that they were offered assistance from their healthcare providers to quit smoking. Fifty-one percent (n = 26) of smokers and 20% (n = 22) of recent quitters expressed an interest in a smoking-cessation program. An individualized smoking-cessation program was the preferred type of program. Among smokers, younger patients with early stage disease and those with partners who were smokers were more interested in programs. CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority of patients received advice and were offered assistance to quit smoking, approximately 50% of smokers were interested in cessation programs. Innovative approaches to increase interest in cessation programs need to be developed and tested in this population.