Can quitting smoking at 60 improve lung cancer treatment?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am writing this on behalf of my aunt, who is 60 years old and was diagnosed with endometrial cancer about eight months ago. Recent scans have shown a new nodule in her right lung, which the pulmonologist suspects could be a secondary spread of the cancer.

She has been smoking nearly a pack a day for the last 30 years, but she is finally willing to quit. She would like to know if stopping now, at her age, will make any significant difference in how her body responds to her ongoing treatment.

Currently, she is taking Letrozole 2.5 mg daily, and her last PET scan indicated moderate metabolic activity in the uterine region and mild uptake in the lung nodule. Her pulmonologist has referred her to an oncologist, but the appointment is three weeks away, and she is becoming increasingly anxious in the meantime. Her oxygen saturation drops to around 94 percent during mild activity, which her chest doctor has said is concerning.

Can quitting smoking at 60 help a lung cancer patient respond better to treatment? We want to do everything possible to support her right now.

Please guide me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your query and understand your concern.

I understand how stressful this phase must be for both of you, especially while waiting for the oncology consultation. I will answer your concern directly.

Yes, stopping smoking now, even at the age of 60, will definitely make a meaningful difference. The body starts improving within days of quitting. Oxygen levels begin to improve, airway irritation reduces, and the lungs function more efficiently. Even in long-term smokers, I have seen patients feel less breathless and maintain better oxygen levels within a few weeks of stopping.

In your aunt’s situation, where her oxygen saturation is already dropping to around 94 % with mild activity, quitting smoking now can help prevent further decline and may improve her ability to tolerate exertion.

This becomes especially important if chemotherapy or any systemic treatment is planned, because better lung reserve reduces the chances of treatment-related complications.

Smoking also interferes with how well cancer treatments work and increases the risk of infections and delayed recovery. By stopping now, she is giving herself the best possible chance to respond better to ongoing and future treatment.

Even if the lung nodule turns out to be a spread from the primary cancer, improving her lung health at this stage is one of the most effective steps she can take immediately. It is not too late, and the benefits are real and clinically significant.

Hope I have addressed all of your queries and concerns. Do follow up whenever needed.

Thank you.

Can quitting smoking at 60 improve lung cancer treatment?

Quitting Smoking and Lung Cancer Companion