Nearly half of long-term smokers spontaneously quit around 2,5 years before being diagnosed with lung cancer, and most do so before they notice any symptoms, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
As the co-author of the research, prof. Barbara Campling of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, it is known among physicians that a good percentage of lung cancer patients quit smoking some time before diagnosis. However, this observation is often ignored – it is said that the patient quit the addiction because he probably already had symptoms of cancer.
We have shown that the majority of lung cancer patients who quit smoking shortly before diagnosis had not yet had symptoms of the disease, emphasizes Prof. Campling. Moreover, it is often not difficult for them to do so, despite the fact that they have made many unsuccessful attempts in the past.
Therefore, the researcher and her colleagues believe that in some cases, spontaneous quitting may be an early symptom of lung cancer. Perhaps the tumor cells secrete some substances that disrupt the mechanisms responsible for nicotine addiction, scientists speculate.
The latest research was carried out on a group of 115 smokers who developed lung cancer.
It turned out that as much as 48 percent. of them stopped the addiction on average 2,7 years before the diagnosis, but only six of this group (ie 11%) had any symptoms of the disease at that time. In addition, as much as 31 percent. they quit without effort, although they smoked for a long time and were just as addicted to nicotine as the patients who remained faithful to their addiction.
For comparison, the researchers also studied prostate cancer patients and patients after a heart attack who had stopped smoking in the past. In patients with prostate cancer, the period between quitting smoking and diagnosis was over 24 years, while in patients after a heart attack – an average of 10 years.
Prof. Capmling points out that the results of her team’s research should not make smokers addicted. All smokers should be strongly encouraged to quit him – the researcher concludes.