Smoking

[Napoleon]

Sir:  My husband has metastic breast cancer.  He enjoys smoking a cigar daily while sitting outside reading the paper, does not inhale.  Do you think this can cause him any harm?  I know smoking isn't good but this is something he truly enjoys.  Thank you.

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear Napoleon, Smoking will not likely effect his breast cancer. However, he assumes any other risks of smoking.

[surgeon]

You asked if it was ok for him to smoke his cigars because he enjoys them. I said that smoking cigars will not affect his disease. That seemed to me like a straight answer to your question. From your response it seems you really were asking what to expect from his disease, rather than whether it's ok for him to smoke.

[surgeon]

And I would add that saying smoking won't affect the outcome is not the same as saying there's no point in taking treatments: it's two different things. Will smoking make things worse? No. Will chemo help? Maybe.

[Napoleon]

To the Surgeon - what do you mean the outcome will be the same? Are you saying he'll die either way, so it doesn't matter anymore? My husband is a liver transplant recipient and has a low ejection fraction, he also had 11 positive lymph nodes. Due to his other conditions he is not doing chemo.  When first diagnosed 18 months ago his scans were clear.  He was put on Arimidex, it failed, it metastisized to his distal femur, it was radiated and changed to Femara and Zometa.  Just had scans and all was clear.  You know we've seen several Oncologists and they all say just what you did "The Outcome is the Same" if that is so, why are we doing anything for him?  Is it just a matter of time before tumors start showing up.  I truly wish someone out there would give us a straight answer.  I'm sorry this is so long but that statement kinds of gets to me.  Thank you for your time.

[surgeon]

In my opinion, he should enjoy his cigars. It won't affect the outcome of his disease.

[Geeb]

Maybe she just meant that smoking wouldn't effect the metastic breast cancer.