The 5-year survival for Lung Cancer (LC) remains under 10% despite advances in treatment. Small retrospective studies suggest that smoking after a diagnosis of LC shortens life expectancy, but smoking was usually self-reported and just recorded at baseline.
Objective: To determine if quitting smoking after a diagnosis of LC affects survival
Methods: As part of a UK multicentre trial (NCT01192256) we followed 547 patients with NSCLC who were smoking at the time of diagnosis for up to 12 months. Self-reported smoking status was verified by serial exhaled carbon monoxide levels.
Results: 19 patients were excluded, as their survival was under 1 month. 133 patients quit within 1 month of diagnosis. Of these who quit, 64.7% were male with average age of 53.17, of those who continued smokers, 71.1% males with average age of 69.68. There was a significant difference in survival in those who continued to smoke (mean survival of 272.46 days, SE=15.79) and those who quit smoking within 1 month of a diagnosis of lung cancer (M =362.46 days, SE= 27.45). A log rank test was run to determine if there were differences in the survival distribution for quitters vs. continuous smokers following a diagnosis of lung cancer. The survival distributions were statistically significantly different, χ2(1) = 6.59, p =.01.
Conclusions: Quitting smoking at the time of diagnosis leads to improved survival in patients with lung cancer and should be promoted as soon as possible to help improve survival.