Do you smoke cigarettes or use tobacco and wish that you could quit?

Has your doctor informed you that if you don’t quit using tobacco, you cannot receive treatment for your condition, or that you can’t have surgery?

 

Have you tried to quit many times, and failed?

 

Have you recently received a serious diagnosis and feel more motivated than ever to quit tobacco for good?

Quitting smoking is the BEST thing you can do to reduce your cancer risk

Tobacco is the cause of 90 percent of lung cancers and smoking increases the risk of over a dozen other cancers including cancers of the mouth, larynx (voice box), pharynx (upper throat), nose and sinuses, esophagus (food pipe), liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, bladder, cervix, bowel, as well as one type of ovarian cancer, and some types of leukemia. There is also some evidence that smoking could increase the risk of breast cancer.

Quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis can help 

Many studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of smoking cessation on cancer treatment, toxicity, quality of life, return of the cancer or development of a second tumor, and survival. Tobacco use by cancer patients can complicate a wide variety of treatments, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery (Gritz, Dresler & Sarna, 2005).

Patients already diagnosed with cancer can benefit greatly from quitting their tobacco use, such as experiencing fewer complications when receiving various cancer treatments and improving outcomes of the treatment.
 

Here are some of the great reasons for you to quit smoking when receiving cancer treatment:

You will recover more quickly and improve faster after surgery.

• The time it takes to heal your wounds is reduced
• You will have fewer pulmonary, circulatory and infectious complications
• There will be a far less chance of being admitted to Intensive Care Unit after surgery

If you are receiving radiation therapy or chemotherapy for your cancer

• You may have a better response to the treatment and experience fewer side effects
• You will lower your risk for developing more tumors
• You will reduce your chance of long-term toxicity or damage to your lungs
• Your immune function may be improved.

More great reasons to quit...

 

Smoke Free Life Program

The Smoke Free Life Program is available to SCCA patients.  You do not have to be in Seattle to participate and benefit from the program. We can meet with you in-person or talk on the phone, whichever suits your needs.
 

When you schedule a Smoke Free Life session, you will meet or talk on the phone with Donna Manders (center) or Grace Bell (left), tobacco cessation counselors. If you are interested in using a medication to manage nicotine withdrawal symptoms, we can help you determine which medication is best for you and help you access it. If you smoke to manage stress or deal with other emotional issues, we can offer alternate approaches that will preserve and improve your health.  Finally, we can help you find strategies to break the habit of smoking. 

We provide written educational materials and information about other resources for quitting.

Following your first session with the Smoke Free Life Program, you may elect to have us call you or meet with you three additional times.  You are welcome to call us as many times as you like during your journey to becoming smoke-free.  Our goal is to help you become a comfortable and confident non-smoker in a time frame that works for you.

 

More Information:
For more information about the Smoke Free Life Program, please call Donna Manders 206-288-7620 or Grace Bell 206-288-7464.

 

Drop-Ins:
Join us at our “drop-in hour” from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month, at the SCCA Sanctuary located on the 1st Floor of SCCA. This hour is open to anyone with questions or concerns about smoking cessation.
 

Follow us on twitter.com at SmokeFreeLife for daily tips on quitting.
 

Ask your SCCA doctor for a referral or call Seattle Cancer Care Alliance at (206) 288-7222. Now patients can self-refer by calling 206-288-7766.

It is never too late to stop smoking—quitting at any time will enable you to live a longer and healthier life. If you keep trying, you will succeed.

 

More Helpful Links

 

 

Reasons to Quit

You're motivated to quit smoking, but a few more enticing reasons would help. Here's a great list of why you should quit as soon as possible.

Smoking Cessation Helpful Links

There are many resources available to you, in addition to the Smoke Free Life Program. Read about them here, along with News items and Patient Power webcasts.