Listen to the Cancer.Net Podcast: Quitting Smoking After a Cancer Diagnosis, with Anthony Alberg, PhD, MPH, adapted from this content.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, quitting tobacco use is one of the best goals a person can have to improve the chances of successful cancer treatment. Many believe that smoking caused their cancer and feel like they have brought this on themselves. Others believe that it is too late to quit and that the damage has already been done. People who use tobacco should not blame themselves for a cancer diagnosis or feel that nothing can be done to help them. Quitting can have benefits right away.
Benefits of Quitting Tobacco Use
Facts and myths about quitting tobacco use
Talking With Your Health Care Team About Smoking or Other Tobacco Use
Information to share and questions to ask
How to Quit Smoking and Using Tobacco Products
Types of medications, counseling, and other supportive resources
Resources to Help You Quit Smoking
A list of quitlines, websites, and mobile apps
Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke
Why secondhand smoke is harmful and how to avoid it
Health Risks of E-cigarettes, Smokeless Tobacco, and Waterpipes
Alternative tobacco products and how they can be harmful