Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
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Observational Study
Does Quitting Smoking Make a Difference Among Newly Diagnosed Head and Neck Cancer Patients?
To determine if smoking after a cancer diagnosis makes a difference in mortality among newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients. ⋯ Using prospective observational longitudinal data from 590 head and neck cancer patients, this study showed that continuing smokers have the highest overall mortality relative to never-smokers, which indicates that smoking cessation, even after a cancer diagnosis, may have beneficial effects on long-term overall mortality. Health care providers should consider incorporating smoking cessation interventions into standard cancer treatment to improve survival among this population.