Prevalence and predictors of continued tobacco use after treatment of patients with head and neck cancer

Abstract

Although the diagnosis of a tobacco-related malignancy clearly represents a strong catalyst for smoking cessation, a sizable subgroup of patients continue to smoke. Patients with less severe disease who undergo less extensive treatment are particularly at risk for continued tobacco use. These data highlight the importance of developing smoking cessation interventions designed to meet the demographic, disease, treatment, and tobacco-use characteristics of this patient population.