In a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that quitting smoking early was associated with higher survival rates in patients following a lung cancer diagnosis. While non-smokers were related to the highest odds of survival following a lung cancer diagnosis, the data revealed substantial links between decreased mortality and quitting smoking before diagnosis.

In the study, the researchers followed 5,594 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). They noted that NSCLC accounted for 85% of all lung cancer cases diagnosed. The researchers also revealed that out of all the patients, 795 had never smoked, while 3,308 were former smokers and 1,491 were current smokers.

The findings of the study also showed that during the studys duration, 3,842 of the participants died. They revealed that 79.3% of the dead patients were current smokers, followed by 66.8% of the former smokers, and 59.6% were nonsmokers, respectively.

The longer a patient goes without smoking, the greater the health benefits, especially among former smokers. The results of the study showed that doubling the years of smoking cessation prior to lung cancer diagnosis was strongly related to a prolonged survival rate.

In contrast, doubling smoking-pack years in current and former smokers with NSCLC was associated with a reduced survival rate. The researchers added that, in comparison to nonsmokers, current smokers and former smokers had a 68% and 26% higher risk of mortality, respectively.

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1077572 )