Smoking and Ethics: What Are the Duties of Oncologists?

Learning Objectives After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Act as a role model to promote patient and community health by abstaining from or quitting smoking and encouraging and assisting patients and colleagues to quit smoking. Assume more responsibility for advocating for smoke‐free environments and policies that combat smoking‐related health threats in the community. Actively support international policies and interventions that expand tobacco cessation and smoke‐free environments.This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com The World Health Organization's 2009 report on the world's tobacco epidemic predicts that, unchecked, tobacco use will kill a billion people in this century. Oncologists have a special professional role to play in combating this epidemic. Based on two views of professionalism, this editorial argues that oncologists have three duties. First, oncologists should be role models. They should not smoke themselves and urge their colleagues to do the same. Second, oncologists must strongly advise their own patients to stop smoking and advocate for tobacco‐free environments in their patients' communities. Third, oncologists have duties to their international colleagues. They should share their experience in combating tobacco use with them, encourage and assist them to quit smoking, and help them advocate for smoke‐free environments. Further, oncologists should work to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in their own country.