Smoking Aggravates Cancer Pain for Some Patients

Continuing to smoke after a cancer diagnosis may aggravate cancer pain and interfere with activities of daily living, according to a cross-sectional study published in the January issue of Pain. These associations were found in various cancer sites and stages.

 

Researchers evaluated 224 cancer patients about to begin chemotherapy through self-report of pain severity, pain-related distress, and pain-related interference. Using the hypothesis that current smokers would report greater pain, pain interference, and pain-related distress than former or never-smokers, the researchers found that those who continued to smoke after diagnosis reported greater pain (F [2, 215] = 3.47; P <.05) and greater pain-related interference (F [2, 215] = 5.61; P <.01).

 

In subgroup analysis, former smokers exhibited an inverse relationship between pain severity and number of years since quitting smoking (r [104] = -0.26; P <.01), which suggests that quitting smoking may reduce pain severity over time.

 

Although further research is needed to determine the directionality of these associations, “clinicians must do more to assist cancer patients to quit smoking after their diagnosis,” as noted by Lori Bastian, MD, in her commentary published with the article.