A recent study published on bmj.com states that people who have been diagnosed with early stage lung cancer, stand to increase their chances of survival for over five years if they give up smoking in comparison to those who continue to smoke.
Lung cancer is the most predominantly diagnosed form of cancer in the world. In the United Kingdom, around 39000 cases are diagnosed with lung cancer every year, second only to breast cancer.
In reviewing this study’s results, they were encouraging enough to provide patients smoking cessation treatment for those who were diagnosed with early stage lung cancer.
It is a well-known fact that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and lifelong smokers have that risk 20 times more than non-smokers do. What was unknown was how much effect does quitting smoking have on patients after being diagnosed with early stage lung cancer.
The researchers at the University of Birmingham wanted to analyze this and combined the results of 10 patients. To minimize the bias they took into account the differences in quality and study design.
The analysis showed that people diagnosed with early stage lung cancer had a significantly higher risk of life when they continued smoking. Continual smoking also helps the progress of cancer while resulting in an increased risk of death. The data also provided evidence that people who quit would live five years or more than those who do not quit. The results also provide strong evidence for doctors to offer smoking cessation treatments to their patients.