Smoking cessation

Avoid

2 studies · 1 recommendation

Last updated: February 27, 2026

Avoid2 studies

Quitting tobacco reduces cancer death risk by 23% and improves long-term survival

Across 2 studies encompassing over 37,000 cancer survivors, tobacco cessation emerges as a critical factor in cancer outcomes. A pooled cohort analysis of four multinational cohorts (NHANES, NHIS, UK Biobank, Kailuan) found never smoking associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.69–0.86) for all-cause mortality among 37,095 survivors, with 8,927 deaths recorded during follow-up. Tobacco contributes to 32% of all cancer deaths spanning throat, mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervical cancers, yet 23% of survivors continue use post-diagnosis. A CDC-supported clinical guideline designates cessation as an evidence-based practice, noting immediate and long-term benefits including decreased second cancer risk. Combined with other healthy lifestyle factors, favorable scores yielded substantially lower all-cause (HR 0.55) and cancer-specific (HR 0.57) mortality.

Evidence

Healthy Lifestyle and Cancer Survival:A Multinational Cohort Study

Authors: Bian, Zilong, Ding, Yuan, Fan, Rong, Larsson, Susanna C., Li, Xue, Theodoratou, Evropi, Wang, Lijuan, Wu, Shouling, Yuan, Shuai, Zhang, Rongqi, Zhu, Yimin

Published: January 1, 2024

In a pooled analysis of 37,095 cancer survivors across four multinational cohorts (NHANES, NHIS, UK Biobank, Kailuan), never smoking was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.69–0.86) for all-cause mortality, representing a 23% relative risk reduction. During follow-up, 8,927 all-cause deaths and 4,449 cancer deaths were recorded. Combined with four other healthy lifestyle factors, survivors with a favorable healthy lifestyle score had substantially lower all-cause (HR 0.55) and cancer-specific (HR 0.57) mortality.

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Tobacco cessation for cancer survivors : a resource guide for local health departments

CDC-supported clinical guideline identifies that 23% of cancer survivors continue tobacco use in the first year post-diagnosis. Tobacco contributes to 32% of all cancer deaths across multiple cancer types including throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, and cervix. Quitting produces immediate and long-term benefits including decreased second cancer risk and improved survival. The guideline designates tobacco cessation promotion as an evidence-based practice and key component of comprehensive tobacco control, recommending that local health departments modify existing cessation services to support cancer survivors.

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