Emerging issues in smoking among adolescent and adult cancer survivors

Abstract

The number of cancer survivors is significantly increasing, thereby prioritizing the importance of identifying and preventing adverse health outcomes within this high-risk population. Cigarette smoking is of particular salience as it places both adolescents and adults with a cancer history at risk for various health problems, including second malignancies. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the smoking literature as it relates to adolescents and adults on-treatment and surviving cancer. In particular, the article reviews the prevalence, risk factors, and health outcomes associated with smoking, in addition to the prevention and smoking cessation interventions available to adolescent and adult oncology patients. Furthermore, efficacious cessation strategies have recently emerged from the smoking literature in healthy populations, and their application to oncology populations is discussed.

Long-term Cardiovascular Toxicity in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Who Receive Cancer Therapy: Pathophysiology, Course, Monitoring, Management, Prevention, and Research Directions

“…October 22, 2013 risk-counseling interventions can reduce smoking risk among adolescents with a history of cancer for up to a year after the intervention. [630][631][632][633] A comparison of preadolescents undergoing cancer therapy to a similarly aged population without cancer found that the cancer patients were more likely to recall messages about the negative health effects of smoking and to have smoking bans in place at home. 634 In contrast, preadolescents with cancer were less likely to report receiving messages from their physicians about not smoking, a missed opportunity to improve care.…”

“…Klosky et al 630 recently published an excellent review of smoking cessation interventions and the use of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation among survivors of cancer diagnosed in adolescence and young adulthood. Collaborating with the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, Emmons and colleagues, 635 in a randomized trial among adult survivors of childhood cancer, reported that survivors receiving peer counseling by telephone had a significantly higher rate of smoking cessation at 12 months than those attending a self-help group (15% versus 9%, respectively).…”

Cervical cancer survivors at increased risk of subsequent tobacco-related malignancies, United States 1992–2008

“…Tobacco use poses a substantial health hazard to cancer survivors [6,7], including an increased risk of subsequent malignancies [8]. The estimated smoking prevalence among cervical cancer survivors exceeds 40 % compared with 14 % among breast cancer survivors, 12 % among colorectal cancer survivors [9,10], and 18 % among the general population of US women [11].…”

Tobacco Use in the Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer Survivor

“…6 The Cancer review article also reports that "psychologic distress is a well-established factor that influences smoking among adolescents." 7 Although the findings are mixed, evidence suggests that survivors of childhood cancer experience greater levels of psychologic distress in adolescence and young adulthood than do unrelated or sibling controls, thus placing them at high risk for smoking onset and progression. 8 …”