Smoking cessation and the success of lung cancer surgery.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. Cigarette smoke is associated with 90% of lung cancer deaths, making it the most important risk factor for the disease. The strong correlation between smoking and lung cancer is well established, but there is evidence that smoking further increases the morbidity and mortality of lung cancer patients who undergo curative resection. Thus, smoking not only leads to lung cancer but also lowers the survival of those who undergo treatment of their cancer.