Quitting smoking and commercial tobacco use is an important part of your cancer treatment and care. Read below to learn how smoking and commercial tobacco use can affect your treatment and how quitting can improve your health.
How can smoking and using commercial tobacco before and during cancer treatment affect my health?
Before starting treatment and during it, smoking and using commercial tobacco can:
- Delay healing
- Make your recovery time longer
- Decrease how well your treatment works
- Make your side effects worse
How can smoking affect my cancer risk, even if I have cancer already?
Smoking and using commercial tobacco when you have cancer can cause:
- Your cancer to come back (recurrence)
- Cancer to grow in a different part of your body
This can happen even if your first cancer was not caused by smoking or using tobacco.
How will quitting during cancer treatment help me?
Quit smoking and using commercial tobacco during cancer treatment to:
- Help your body respond to treatment better
- Help you heal faster
- Improve some of your side effects
- Lower your risk of your cancer coming back
- Lower your risk of getting a second cancer
How can my health care team help me quit?
Before each clinic visit, you will be asked to answer questions about your health and wellbeing, including your smoking history.
Even after your first appointment, you may ask a member of your health care team at any time for information on support services and resources to help you quit smoking.
There are a number of programs and services available at UHN and in the community to help you quit smoking.
See a list of Smoking Cessation Programs & Services »
