Abstract
Although cancer patients who continue to smoke are at high risk for subsequent malignancies, especially in tobacco‐exposed tissues, they are rarely the target of intervention strategies. We present smoking behavior profiles on 2,531 adult patients registered at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center over a 15‐month period. The data are derived from self‐administered risk‐factor questionnaires. Prevalence data are compared with 1985 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Percentages of current smokers were similar for men (34.6%) and women (31.8%) and comparable with national survey data. Black men had the highest percentage of current smokers (41%), while Hispanic and black females had the lowest (26.1% and 26.7%, respectively). There were proportionately fewer quitters among women compared with men (19.1% v 37.8%) and among black men and women (20.5% and 11.5%, respectively) compared with whites and Hispanics. Fifty‐five percent of male patients smoked over 25 cigarettes daily, compared with 33% of men in the national data. The comparable estimates for women were 31% and 21%. While there was a clear inverse association between educational attainment and smoking prevalence, those college‐educated men who did smoke were heavier smokers than their less‐educated counterparts. These data highlight the importance of tailoring educational programs to correspond with the specific smoking and demographic characteristics of the patient population.