Watching a toxic relationship go up in smoke… might be the best medicine.
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
When facing a cancer diagnosis, you know who isn’t in your corner? Cigarettes. “The damage is already done,” you say, smoker? Well, what if it’s not too late to make a life-changing decision?
Enter Paul Cinciripini from M-D Anderson Cancer Center. He followed over four thousand cancer patients who joined a tobacco treatment program.
Did it make the difference? Yes! Those who quit smoking within six months of their cancer diagnosis lived almost two years longer. Even more surprising – quitting up to five years after their diagnosis STILL helped patients live longer.
Time to end that toxic on-again-off-again relationship with cigarettes – it’s not you, it’s THEM.
Reference: Cinciripini, P. M., Kypriotakis, G., Blalock, J. A., Karam-Hage, M., Beneventi, D. M., Robinson, J. D., … & Warren, G. W. (2024). Survival Outcomes of an Early Intervention Smoking Cessation Treatment After a Cancer Diagnosis. JAMA oncology.