TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Smoking cessation for 10 years or more is significantly associated with reduced overall mortality and head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC)-specific mortality, according to the report. According to a study published online Jan. 18, cancer.
John JW Lee, MD, University of Toronto, and colleagues evaluated whether smoking cessation and prolonged abstinence were associated with improved overall and HNSCC-specific survival. This analysis included prospective data from 2,482 of his HNSCC patients (2006–2019).
The researchers found that former smokers had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than current smokers (adjusted hazard ratio 0.71). Former smokers who quit more than 10 years before diagnosis (long-term abstinence) had the greatest improvement in overall survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.72) compared with current smokers. Ex-smokers had reduced HNSCC-specific mortality compared with current smokers (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.71), but no difference in noncancer mortality. Similarly, abstinence for 10 years or more was associated with reduced HNSCC-specific mortality in him compared with current smoking (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.64).
“These findings contribute to the importance and urgency of smoking cessation interventions focused on encouraging people to quit even when it feels too late,” the authors wrote.
Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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