Treatment modality: a predictor of continued tobacco use after treatment in patients with laryngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND Laryngeal cancer patients who continue to smoke after treatment are at an elevated risk of mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to identify factors associated with continued tobacco use following treatment in patients with laryngeal cancer. METHODS A smoking behaviour questionnaire, a self-report measure, was sent to 112 patients who were diagnosed with laryngeal cancer during 2006-2011 at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, Brighton, UK. Patient demographics, tumour and treatment-related variables, comorbidity and socio-economic status were obtained from the medical records. RESULTS Eighty-one per cent of patients responded to the survey; 22 per cent of these reported continued tobacco use after treatment. Treatment modality was found to be a predictor of post-therapeutic smoking (odds ratio: 4.9, p = 0.01); patients who received less invasive therapy (transoral laser microsurgery) were more likely to smoke after treatment. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this preliminary study suggest that treatment modality influences smoking behaviour in patients with laryngeal cancer, which may have important implications for the design of anti-smoking interventions.