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Recursos del Cáncer > Notícias sobre Cáncer > 2005 > noviembre
Smokers' misperceptions about nicotine can hamper cessation efforts
Martha Kerr
Last Updated: 2005-11-01 14:30:04 -0400 (Reuters Health)
MONTREAL (Reuters Health) - Many smokers think that nicotine causes cancer, and that fear can significantly interfere with efforts to stop, according to surprise findings of a survey reported here today at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
The survey consisted of 1,139 patients, 482 men and 657 women, enrolled in a smoking cessation program at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Great Neck, New York. Subjects were questioned about the their beliefs regarding the risk between smoking and cancer and nicotine's part in cancer risk.
Lead investigator Dr. Virginia Reichert said that the majority of smokers - 71.9% of women and 59.4% of men - believed that nicotine causes cancer. In addition, 75% of women and 64.5% of men expressed worry that smoking would give them cancer, and 71.9% of women and 63.1% of men smoked "light" cigarettes, thinking this would lower intake of nicotine and thus lower their risk of cancer.
"Just the opposite is true," Dr. Reichert told Reuters Health. "Nicotine does not cause cancer, but that is why patients are reluctant to use patches to help them quit...It's the delivery system that carries the risk...It's the cigarette smoke that contains carcinogens, neurotoxins and other toxins."
More women expressed fear, guilt and worry about the risks they were taking with smoking (77.2% versus 61.7% of men). They were also more afraid of failure in their attempts to quit than men (17.5% versus 10.7%). However, quit rates at 30 days were essentially the same for women and men (59.1% versus 54.9%).
"Nicotine is the drug that smokers crave. That's why the patches are a good alternative for those who want to quit," Dr. Reichert said.
"Smokers need a comprehensive care program that includes pharmacotherapy using nicotine patches," she added. "The programs are very much the same as other addiction treatment programs, but they need to go a step further," she said. "
Complete abstinence is not used, because going "cold turkey" has a very high failure rate, Dr. Reichert said. "A program that involves behavior modification, guided imagery and support systems are helpful," she concluded, "and patches are a very useful tool in the program."
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