PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network ® (NCCN®) has introduced a new set of guidelines aimed at aiding cancer patients in their efforts to quit smoking. This initiative underscores the critical importance of smoking cessation for cancer patients, as continued smoking can heighten the risk of developing additional cancers, diminish treatment effectiveness, worsen side effects, and shorten survival times. The newly published NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Quitting Smoking are crafted to provide cancer patients with the most effective strategies and tools to stop smoking permanently.
While primarily targeting individuals diagnosed with cancer, the guidelines also serve as a valuable resource for all smokers. Dr. Peter G.
Shields, from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, emphasizes the significance of the guidelines, stating, “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.” As the Chair of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology Panel for Smoking Cessation, Dr.
Shields highlights the guidelines’ role in empowering patients with the same evidence-based information utilized by healthcare providers. The guidelines take a supportive, non-judgmental approach, acknowledging that relapses are common and that a personalized quitting strategy is often necessary. They present a range of evidenc.