14%

Percent of lung cancer patients who continued to smoke cigarettes five months after diagnosis, according to a study in Cancer. The same was true of 9% of colorectal cancer patients. Most people who can’t quit are hard-core, high-volume smokers. They struggle to kick the habit, but often face barriers like depression and social stigma. “There are feelings of fatalism. They think, ‘Why stop now?’ And a lot of people are very judgmental about lung cancer patients causing their own disease,” said lead author Dr. Elyse R. Park of Harvard Medical School. [via MSNBC]

  • Share
  • Read Later