Impact of oral and oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis on smoking cessation patients and cohabiting smokers

Introduction: Our aim was to determine the influence of oral and oropharyngeal (OOP) cancer diagnosis on smoking cessation in patients and/or cohabiting smokers. We also aimed to determine whether OOP cancer patients received smoking-cessation advice and evaluated the factors that were influential in aiding them to quit or decrease smoking.

Methods: This study was conducted at King Fahad Medical City, Saudi Arabia from March 2015 to May 2017. A pre-validated self-administered questionnaire was administered to OOP cancer patients visiting the Dentistry and Head & Neck Oncology outpatient clinics. Sociodemographics and baseline information were obtained from electronic medical records. Data were collected from 203 patients; 88 were ever-smokers and 115 were never-smokers.

Results: Among patients who were smoking at the time of the OOP cancer diagnosis, 47.7% continued to smoke after the diagnosis. OOP cancer diagnosis was influential in smoking cessation in ever-smoker patients and their cohabiting smokers. The apparent influence of OOP cancer diagnosis was different between cohabiting smokers of ever-smoker patients (n=21/25; 84%) and those of never-smokers (n=10/21; 47.6%). Former-smokers (n=16/19; 84.2%) were less likely to remember receiving smoking-cessation advice than current-smokers (n=17/39; 43.6%). Pressure from family and friends, adverse impact on cancer prognosis, and adverse impact of cancer treatment were influential factors for smoking cessation. Among treatment modalities, combined chemoradiotherapy had the greatest impact (n=10/21; 47.6%) on smoking cessation among patients who stated that oncology treatment was influential in causing them to quit or decrease smoking.

Conclusions: A substantial number of patients continued to smoke after the OOP cancer diagnosis; however, diagnosis facilitated smoking cessation in many cases. Current smoking status should be reviewed throughout the OOP cancer patient's disease course, and smoking-cessation assistance should be provided where necessary.