The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has released new patient guidelines offering evidence-based strategies to help individuals with cancer quit smoking.

RT’s Three Key Takeaways

1. Empowering Cancer Patients: The NCCN guidelines provide cancer patients with the same evidence-based tools and information that healthcare providers use, helping them actively participate in smoking cessation efforts.
2. Improved Treatment Outcomes: Quitting smoking can enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatments, reduce side effects, and increase survival rates, making smoking cessation a crucial step for patients, according to experts.
3. Supportive, Flexible Approach: The guidelines take a non-judgmental stance, acknowledging that relapses are common and offering multiple strategies like nicotine replacement therapy and behavioral support to help patients quit successfully.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)—an alliance of leading cancer centers— announced the publication of a new patient guideline designed to provide support and guidance for individuals with cancer who are seeking to quit smoking. 

Continued smoking elevates the risk of developing additional cancers, reduces the effectiveness of treatment, exacerbates treatment side effects, and is associated with shorter survival. The new NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Quitting Smoking explains how to best use the tools that exist to help anyone quit for good. While focused on smoking cessation strategies in people with cancer, the information is also useful for smokers who do not have a cancer diagnosis.

“For every patient with cancer who is smoking at diagnosis or anytime during their cancer journey, quitting is absolutely possible. Quitting earlier is better, but any time helps,” says Peter G. Shields, MD, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, in a release. 

[RELATED: How Many Years Cancer Patients Gain by Quitting Smoking]

Shields serves as chair of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology Panel for Smoking Cessation, which develops evidence-based, expert consensus-driven recommendations intended for care providers. 

“By empowering patients with the same information that doctors use, we aim to make quitting smoking a more achievable goal, even for those who have struggled in the past. Smoking cessation requires the active work of both the patient and the health care provider. These patient guidelines are so critical for closing that loop for best success,” says Shields.

Taking a Judgment-Free Approach to Smoking Cessation

According to the NCCN, the guidelines “offer a fresh perspective and renewed hope” for those who have previously tried to quit smoking without success and those who want to quit but haven’t yet taken initial steps. The NCCN says the guidelines take a judgment-free approach, recognizing that slips and lapses are common and that a combination of therapies, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, is often the key to success. It features multiple evidence-based options, including details on nicotine replacement therapy, behavior therapy, and non-nicotine medicines.

“People with cancer understand the critical importance of quitting smoking, but the addiction is powerful. These NCCN Guidelines for Patients are designed to engage patients actively in their own care, turning smoking cessation into a collaborative, two-way conversation between patient and caregivers and their care team,” says Shields in the release. “They offer easy-to-understand tools and support needed to make this challenging journey a success.”

Patrick Delaney, executive director of the NCCN Foundation, adds in a release.”People with cancer have more than enough stress in their lives. They and their doctors are engaged first and foremost with addressing the cancer itself. We hope this new patient guideline can be an added resource that empowers people to recognize they have options when it comes to quitting smoking, even while they may be focused on other medical treatments.”

Other supportive care topics covered by the NCCN Guidelines for Patients include how to manage fatigue, distress, or nausea and vomiting during cancer treatment.

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