Stop Smoking When Diagnosed with Mesothelioma

Image via WikipediaSmoke-quitting when diagnosed with mesothelioma minimizes pain while being treated. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial cells, caused by breathing in asbestos fibers that become lodged in the thin membrane that lines and encases the lungs. Most patients do not receive a diagnosis of mesothelioma until after symptoms appear, which can be 30 years or more after exposure. By this time the disease has progressed to an advanced stage leaving the patient with life-threatening complications and limited treatment options.

Mesothelioma is a painful cancer and the pain associated with the disease varies from patient to patient and depends on the type of mesothelioma. Over half of the pleural mesothelioma patients suffer pain in the lower, back and sides of the chest. Others may experience pain from shortness of breath, and constant and acute coughing. Now, researchers say that cancer pain may be increased in those who continued to smoke after their cancer diagnosis compared to patients who had never smoked.

In the study led by researchers at Texas A&M University, 224 cancer patients about to begin chemotherapy were followed to determine the association between smoking and the aggravation of cancer symptoms and treatment side effects, such as pain. The researchers reviewed self-reported measures of pain severity, pain-related distress and pain-related interference. They concluded that “continued smoking despite a cancer diagnosis is associated with greater pain severity and interference from pain.” Former smokers reported experiencing less pain with increased number of years since they quit.

Unlike many other predominantly pulmonary-related cancers, cigarette smoking has no known causative affect on mesothelioma incidence; however, according to the study, smoking accounts for 90% of lung cancer cases and 85% of head and neck cancers. Smoking cessation is one of the primary ways to prevent lung disease.