Perspectives on smoking cessation in the oncology environment: insights from brazilian patients and healthcare providers.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation among Brazilian cancer patients, considering the perspectives of both patients and healthcare professionals at a leading oncology center in the country.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, collecting smoking-related data from two groups: cancer patients and healthcare professionals at the Barretos Cancer Hospital (BCH) between 2019 and 2021. The questionnaire for healthcare professionals was adapted from the 2012 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the Global Adult Tobacco Survey. For the cancer patient group, sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, along with the smoking history and consumption patterns of current smokers.

Results: Among oncology patients, the prevalence of former smokers was found to be 37.4%, while current smokers accounted for 16.8%. Most current smokers exhibited low nicotine dependence and high motivation to quit. Key barriers reported by healthcare professionals in providing smoking cessation interventions included patient resistance (86.9%) and lack of training (64.5%). Furthermore, 52.9% of these professionals indicated that they had never discussed cessation strategies during consultations with smoking patients. Regression models revealed that physicians, compared to other professionals, were more likely to address, advise, and offer cessation treatment to smoking patients (p≤0.05).

Conclusion: There is a need to enhance training on smoking cessation for healthcare professionals to improve clinical outcomes and survival rates among cancer patients.