Quitting smoking early linked to better survival rates in lung cancer patients

ISLAMABAD: A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shows a significant correlation between quitting smoking early and increased survival rates following a lung cancer diagnosis.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the study tracked 5,594 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for 85pc of all lung cancer cases.

The study found that current smokers faced a 68pc higher mortality rate compared to those who never smoked and were undergoing treatment for NSCLC, while former smokers had a 26pc higher mortality rate. Senior author David Christiani, Professor of Environmental Genetics, stressed the importance of quitting smoking before diagnosis, highlighting its enduring benefits even after a lung cancer diagnosis.

The study finds that longer periods of smoking cessation were associated with improved outcomes, with former smokers experiencing extended survival. Conversely, doubling smoking-pack years was linked to shorter survival among both current and former smokers diagnosed with NSCLC.

The researchers recognized that survival associations varied depending on the clinical stage at which lung cancer was diagnosed, besides limitations in the study related to the diversity of treatment types employed.