Is surgical treatment a motivator factor for smoking cessation? Experience in an anticancer hospital

Aim: To investigate the effect of the disease and the need of therapeutic surgery to smoking habit of smoker patients in a anticancer hospitall. It was also studied the way of smoking cessation, previous attempts, the use of electronic cigarette and the willingness for smoking cessation. Methods: Prospective collection and assess of data using a questionnaire to smoker patients who were evaluated during preoperative period. Results: 93 patients (37 males) were studied. Their mean age was 58 years. Their mean smoking intensity was 38py. 92,5% of the patients were about to undergo a surgery due to a neoplastic disease. Patients who continued smoking after admission were 46%, those that stopped due to impending surgery were 33% and half of them intended to stop smoking permanently. 17,2% used e-cigarette. 2% asked for medical help. 2% used acupuncture. 42% of the patients wasn9t awarded of stop smoking departments and only 15% of smokers expressed the desire to participate to a smoking cessation program. 53% reported a previous attempt to stop smoking and 69% of them relapsed. Conclusions: Surgical treatment of disease, either if this regards a neoplastic disease, motivated only one third of the patients to stop smoking. More efforts are needed to inform patients about smoking effects and encourage them to participate to smoking cessation programs and furthermore take caution not to relapse later.