The resolution of the Expert Council ”Possibilities of risk modification in patients with oncological diseases of the head and neck organs”

The presented materials of the Expert Council (Moscow, March 29, 2024) are devoted to modern approaches to modifying the risk of tobacco smoking in patients with oncological diseases of the head and neck organs, as well as choosing the optimal scientifically based strategy for quitting smoking or a way to minimize exposure to tobacco smoke for patients who are not motivated to give up from smoking.

Smoking cessation is the main focus of cancer prevention. Quitting smoking benefits even after a cancer diagnosis regardless of location and stage of the disease. Treatment plans should include smoking cessation recommendations combining motivational strategies and behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy based on evidence-based medicine with follow-up and re-treatment as needed. The physician can inform patients not motivated to quit smoking at the moment about the strategy of risk modification by switching to alternative nicotine delivery sources (ANDS as the general name for category of smokeless products) that exclude burning tobacco. In the future, patients who quit smoking traditional cigarettes, but use only ANDS, should be maintained constant smoking cessation and encouraged to abandon alternative sources of nicotine delivery.

Given the proven effectiveness of introducing smoking cessation recommendations into practice, it is proposed to develop, on the basis of scientifically based methods and international experience, an algorithm for consulting on smoking cessation assistance and include it in clinical recommendations for the head and neck cancer in section “Prevention and dispensary monitoring, medical indications and contraindications to the use of prevention methods”.

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