This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Stephanie Stansell about helping cancer patients quit smoking. Dr. Stansell is the Senior Tobacco Treatment Specialist at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis significantly improves overall survival, enhances treatment effectiveness, and speeds up healing. Doctor Stephanie Stansell is here to talk about smoking cessation for cancer patients. Doctor Stansell is the Senior Tobacco Treatment Specialist at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, Doctor Stansell, cancer patients have a lot going on; medical tests, treatment, emotional ups and downs. Given all of this, is there a best time to quit smoking?
Dr. Stansell: The best time for someone to quit smoking, (is) as soon as they get the diagnosis. Fortunately, in our clinic, when they have a diagnosis of cancer, their doctors give them an immediate referral to our clinic so that we can get on board initially and get them started in a quit smoking plan. The chemicals in the cigarette, it's not so much the nicotine, but it's the thousands of other chemicals that they add too. It can interfere with the effectiveness of the chemotherapy. So, the benefits as they go through treatment are so much better for them, If they can quit smoking early and even before they get into treatment.
Conner: And tell us a bit more about those benefits.
Dr. Stansell: Some of the benefits are as they're going through treatment, the chemotherapy will be more effective if they're not smoking. Cancer patients actually have better outcomes, If they're not smoking. They have fewer and lesser side effects of going through treatment, if they've quit smoking. And there's a less chance of the cancer spreading to different parts of the body if they quit.
Conner: What sort of tailored assistance with smoking cessation is available to cancer patients to help them quit?
Dr. Stansell: At our clinic, we meet with the patient initially, and we work with them and their goals for this. So, we will meet them when they come in for their infusions. We'll sit next to them in the chair, so to make it as easy as possible for them. We will also talk over the phone. We can do video visits. We really like to work with the patient and make it as easy as possible for them. We also arrange for medication, so if we have a patient that is diagnosed with cancer, we actually have funds set aside that we can help them get some initial patches, so we can get that process started.
Conner: And part of the idea during this quitting process is really to change some behaviors that maybe have helped cope with stress.
Dr. Stansell: Absolutely. And this particular time for them is extremely stressful. And a majority of people that do smoke, they lean on the cigarettes to help during stressful times. And so, meeting with a counselor or support person can be very effective because we can discuss healthier or alternative ways of dealing with that stress. Because, the reality of the situation is going to be stressful and it's going to be quite stressful for a long time. So finding healthier ways of coping is going to be very important.
Conner: And what additional sorts of support are really helpful, practically speaking, for cancer patients who have made this commitment to try and quit smoking.
Dr. Stansell: Having family and friends on board is very helpful. There are support groups that could also offer some support. Also, there are apps. So, if an individual has a smartphone and they really like to be on their phone, there are lots of quitting smoking apps that might be a nice support as well, and kind of reaffirm things to help them understand the direction that they're going.
Conner: Doctor Stansell, thanks for talking with us about cancer patients and smoking cessation.
Dr. Stansell: Thank you for having me.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
