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Background. Many cancer patients who are smokers when starting cancer therapy continue smoking despite evidence of tobacco smoking as a risk factor for poor treatment response and secondary primary cancers. Small samples and inconsistent results in previous studies warrant further research to identify predictors of being a continuous smoker during and after radiotherapy. Material and methods. In the clinical database of the Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group (DAHANCA), we identified 1455 patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer between 2000 and 2010, who were all smokers at date of diagnosis and treated with primary radiotherapy. Information on the socio-economic characteristics of the study cohort was obtained from Statistics Denmark the year prior to diagnosis. Logistic regression analyses were applied. Results. In the cohort of laryngeal cancer patients smoking before starting radiotherapy, 50% still smoked one year after radiotherapy similar to the percentage of smokers during treatment. Being younger than 60 years (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.00-1.91), commenced smoking before the age of 15 (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.32-2.38), having a poor WHO Performance status (OR 3.09, 95% CI 1.71-5.61), low income (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.23-3.98) and living alone (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.13-2.14) were associated with increased risk of continuous smoking during treatment. Similar findings were found two months and one year after radiotherapy, however, no association with living alone (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.73-1.59) at the one-year follow-up. Tumor stage and the average number of cigarettes smoked per day before radiotherapy were not associated with being a continuous smoker. Conclusion. Younger patients, who had an early smoking initiation, a poor performance status, low income and lived alone, were most likely to continue smoking. Continuous smoking was not related to the extent of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To investigate the needs of caregivers for individuals with cancer and to gain insight into how to provide support for caregivers. PARTICIPANTS & SETTING: 47 caregivers for patients with cancer in an outpatient setting in Denmark. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: This qualitative study used focus group interviews. Data were analyzed using a hermeneutics framework and Malterud's systematic text condensation. FINDINGS: Results of the nine focus groups showed the experiences of caregiving. Theme 1 was interdependence, which consisted of the subthemes responsibility, a moral obligation and loneliness and talking. The results also revealed a second theme, different needs for support, which contained three subthemes: support through personal time, support through peers, and support through talking to healthcare professionals. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Caregivers for individuals with cancer do not distinguish their own needs and perspectives of support from those of the patients. Caregivers' need for support includes having support from peers, talking to healthcare professionals, and having personal time. Support of caregivers should allow for focusing on the family as a unit instead of solely addressing the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]