A new study out of Japan found that those who continued to smoke after a cancer diagnosis experienced significantly more pain. The data showed that 37% percent of them required strong opioids, compared to 24% of those who had quit following diagnoses and only 20% of those who had never smoked. The study was published in the journal Plos One.

In a new editorial published on the website Confronting Chronic Pain, Steven H. Richeimer, MD, asserts that oncologists must implement new steps in delivering a cancer diagnosis. As the director of the Pain Medicine and Pain Science Programs at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, he urges doctors to not only encourage cancer patients to quit smoking, but to offer them cessation aids and resources.

To read the full editorial, click here.