Discontinuation of Tobacco Dependence in Smoking Patients With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head-neck District: Multicenter Prospective Observational Study

Discontinuation of Tobacco Dependence in Smoking Patients With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head-neck District: Multicenter Prospective Observational Study

The primary objective of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a standardized clinical practice counseling strategy for promoting post-diagnosis smoking cessation among patients with SCCHN. Efficacy will be measured as the percentage of patients who succeed in sustained smoking cessation ("sustained quitters," see below) at 6+1 months after enrollment, i.e., after the initiation of anti-smoking counseling.

Inclusion criteria.

• Patients with SCCHN tumors of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, nasopharynx, and paranasal sinuses.
• Patients older than 18 years of age with SCCHN of these sites who are candidates for surgical/radiotherapy (RT)/radiochemotherapy (RTCT) treatment with curative intent (primary treatment).
• Patients with SCCHN who are active smokers, or have quit smoking for less than 30 days, at the time of initiation of the process (visits and instrumental tests) that led to the diagnosis of cancer

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with SCCHN cancer who have quit smoking for more than 30 days at the time of initiation of the diagnostic process.
• Patients using only e-cigarettes at the time of initiation of the treatment process.
• Patients with non-SCCHN cancer in recurrent metastatic stage and not eligible for curative purpose therapy.