According to a study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, stopping smoking, even after a diagnosis of lung cancer, increases the life expectancy of patients.
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It is the deadliest cancer in the world. In 2020, 1.8 million people have died from lung cancer (WHO). In the majority of cases, smoking is involved.
But once cancer is diagnosed, can quitting smoking still be a game-changer for the patient? According to one recent study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the benefit of stopping smoking, even after diagnosis, is significant.
These conclusions are full of hope, when we know that one in two patients still smokes at the time of their diagnosis.
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A longer life expectancy
For seven years, the Nikolai Blokhin Oncology Scientific Center in Russia observed 517 smokers diagnosed at an early stage.
Among them, 44.5% have decided to quit smoking. The latter thus saw their life expectancy increase by an average of 22 months compared to those who continued.
Unsurprisingly, the study indicates that stopping smoking reduces the risk of cancer-related death and mortality more generally.
