Although the benefits of smoking cessation following a cancer diagnosis have been well-established, up to 50% of cancer patients continue to smoke. Continued smoking through oncology treatment leads to increased risk of adverse events including reduced effectiveness of treatment, recurrence of additional malignancies, and reduced survival rates. Upon the cancer diagnosis, oncology healthcare providers become the primary trusted source of information and support, which represents a great opportunity to assist these patients to quit smoking. However, it remains unclear how oncology healthcare providers can best address smoking cessation from a patient-centered perspective. The present study surveyed oncology patients from Birmingham, AL, classified as either former (n = 174) or current smokers (n = 81) to identify their perceptions regarding the role of oncology healthcare providers in their smoking cessation efforts. Current smokers were more likely to be younger, received their cancer diagnosis within the past 3 years, and have a cancer diagnosis with high smoking-related public awareness (i.e., head, neck, or lung) compared to former smokers. Additionally, 81% of current smokers reported experiencing smoking cessation discussions with their oncology healthcare providers with the most prominent recommendations being use of nicotine replacement therapies (46.9%) and medication (35.8%). These smoking cessation experiences align with patient preferences. However, despite the frequency of smoking cessation discussions, current smokers demonstrated an ambivalence in understanding the risks of continued smoking during their medical treatment. Overall, this study highlights the important role of oncology healthcare providers on implementing smoking cessation intervention for their patients who continue to smoke.

尽管在癌症诊断后戒烟的好处已经得到公认，但仍有多达 50% 的癌症患者继续吸烟。通过肿瘤治疗持续吸烟会导致不良事件的风险增加，包括治疗效果降低、其他恶性肿瘤复发和存活率降低。癌症诊断后，肿瘤医疗保健提供者成为主要可信赖的信息和支持来源，这是帮助这些患者戒烟的绝佳机会。然而，目前尚不清楚肿瘤医疗保健提供者如何从以患者为中心的角度最好地解决戒烟问题。本研究调查了来自阿拉巴马州伯明翰的肿瘤患者，分为以前（n = 174）或现在吸烟者（n = 81），以确定他们对肿瘤医疗保健提供者在戒烟工作中的作用的看法。与以前的吸烟者相比，目前的吸烟者更可能更年轻，在过去 3 年内接受癌症诊断，并且癌症诊断与吸烟相关的公众意识（即头、颈或肺）具有较高的认识。此外，81% 的当前吸烟者报告与他们的肿瘤医疗保健提供者进行了戒烟讨论，其中最突出的建议是使用尼古丁替代疗法 (46.9%) 和药物治疗 (35.8%)。这些戒烟体验符合患者的偏好。然而，尽管戒烟讨论频繁，目前的吸烟者在理解在接受治疗期间继续吸烟的风险方面表现出矛盾心理。总的来说，这项研究强调了肿瘤医疗保健提供者在为继续吸烟的患者实施戒烟干预方面的重要作用。