Smoking cessation help for cancer patients – a pilot project “Quitting Supports Treatment”

Available data suggest that up to 50% of cancer patients, who were smoking before diagnosis, continue to smoke during treatment, unaware of the damage caused due to continued tobacco use and the undervalued benefits of quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis. Structured initiatives aimed at helping cancer patients give up smoking was undertaken at the M. Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw (Poland) within the pilot project “Quitting Supports Treatment (QST)”. QST was launched in September 2019 and was a joint initiative of two departments: 1. The Cancer Epidemiology and Primary Prevention Department and 2. The Soft Tissue/Bone Sarcoma and Melanoma Department. Moreover, QST works with the significant support of Department of Nurses and Midwives Professional Development. The preliminary results suggest the need for several organizational improvements in order to increase QST participation rates. Revision of previous experiences could bring valuable conclusions with regards to the effectiveness of QST, but also for other similar projects.