Study: Quitting smoking at any time increases chances of survival

A study published by the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCOO) in May 2020 demonstrates that quitting smoking, regardless of when it occurs, directly improves the chances of survival in smokers.[1]. While the relationship between smoking and lung cancer is now well documented, until now there was little information available on the point at which quitting leads to an improvement in the chances of survival following a diagnosis of lung cancer.

To conduct the study, the researchers analyzed data from 17 previous ILCOO studies, including 35,248 lung cancer patients. Of these, 47.5% were smokers at the time of the study, 30% were former smokers, and 22.5% had never smoked at the time of diagnosis.

The results of the analysis show that, within the group of former smokers, those who had stopped smoking less than two years ago, between two and five years ago, and more than five years ago before their lung cancer diagnosis had 12%, 16% and 20% lower risks of death from all causes, respectively, compared with current smokers.

This trend is even more pronounced among heavy smokers, smoking at least a pack a day for more than thirty years. Indeed, heavy smokers who had quit smoking less than 2 years before, between 2 and 5 years before and more than 5 years before their lung cancer diagnosis had respectively 14%, 17% and 22% lower risks of death from all causes, compared to current smokers.

Regardless of consumption levels, the researchers also noted a trend toward improved lung cancer survival for those who had quit smoking less than 2 years before and between 2 and 5 years before diagnosis. The improvement in lung cancer-specific survival was statistically significant for those who had quit smoking for more than 5 years before diagnosis.

As the researchers point out, these results show that it is never too late to quit smoking, including for people who have smoked for several decades.

©Tobacco Free Generation

[1] The ASCO Post, “Quitting Smoking at Any Point Improves Lung Cancer Survival, Study Finds ", 05/31/2020

https://www.ascopost.com/news/may-2020/quitting-smoking-at-any-point-improves-lung-cancer-survival/

©National Committee Against Smoking |