More Than 40 Per Cent Of Smokers Tried To Quit In 2007, UK

Forty three per cent of England's smokers tried to quit in 2007, and many of them several times - according to Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco studies, Professor Robert West. His findings are presented at Action on Smoking and Health ( ASH ) Wales* conference in Cardiff today ( Monday ) .

More than 27, 000 smokers and ex-smokers were asked about their attempts to stop smoking in a series of monthly surveys** between November 2006 and January 2008.

Eight per cent reported that they attempted to quit as a direct result of smokefree legislation, which was introduced in England on 1 July 2007.

But single biggest motivator for a quit attempt was New Year's Eve, when more than one in ten made a quit attempt. Quits made at this time seemed to have more sticking power as well.

Professor West, co-director of Cancer Research UK's Health Behaviour Research Centre at UCL ( University College London ) , said: " We know that the majority of smokers want to give up so it is very encouraging to see that half of the smokers we surveyed made a quit attempt in past year.

" It can take many attempts to stop smoking for good, but more times we try, the more likely you're to succeed in end. "

Half of those people who tried to quit used methods shown to improve the chances of success such as nicotine replacement therapy ( NRT ) . The most popular NRT products were purchased over counter and came in form of gum, patches or lozenges.

Professor West added: " I think the best chance of success comes from getting advice and assistance from specialist NHS Stop Smoking Service. It provides friendly advice and assistance and is based on sound evidence of effectiveness. "

More than half of smokers surveyed cut down on their smoking during period and a quarter of these people used NRT. Research suggests that smokers are four times more likely to quit successfully with NHS support and stop smoking medicines such as patches or gum to manage cravings.

The average smoker spends about £3 per day on cigarettes. Over course of the year, giving up would save a cigarette smoker over £1, 000.

Elspeth Lee, Cancer Research UK's head of tobacco control, said: " Smoking is single biggest preventable cause of cancer, killing thousands of people prematurely every year.

" It is good news that the smokefree legislation, as well as protecting people from secondhand smoke, encouraged some smokers to quit. But with about 10 million smokers in the UK - half of whom will die from a smoking related disease - we can't be complacent. We need Government's continued commitment to reducing smoking rates and stopping future generations from starting to smoke.

" Further regulation to reduce accessibility, affordability, attractiveness and appeal of all tobacco products is needed. In Government's consultation later this year, we'll be urging them to put an end to the display of tobacco products at the point of sale, stop tobacco being sold from vending machines and continue to push at an EU level for plain product packaging. These measures will help people to quit for good and reduce the appeal of smoking to younger people. "

Notes

*Professor Robert West is speaking at the ASH Wales 'A Call to Action! ' conference at Cardiff International Arena on Monday 28 April. For more information about conference, visit http: //www. smoking-conference-wales. org. uk

**The Smoking Toolkit Study is a monthly series of national household surveys with smokers and recent ex-smokers being followed up for six months. Data collection began in October 2006. The study is currently funded by Cancer Research UK, J&J Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. The fieldwork is undertaken by the British Market Research Bureau ( BRMB ) .

Smoking and cancer

Smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer in the world and accounts for one in four UK cancer deaths.

Smoking causes nine in ten cases of lung cancer in the UK. Lung cancer is second most common cancer, after breast cancer. There are over 38, 300 new cases each year and more than 33, 000 people die from disease.

Men are more likely to be affected by lung cancer, but number of women with the disease has been increasing. Lung cancer rates in men have decreased by more than 40 per cent in the last thirty years, reflecting the decrease in smoking rates which began after World War II. Female lung cancer rates have increased by more than 50 per cent over the last thirty years due to high smoking rates among women after World War II.

Smoking also increases the risk of over a dozen other cancers including cancers of the mouth, larynx ( voice box ) , oesophagus ( food pipe ) , liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, bladder, cervix, as well as some types of leukaemia.

Half of all smokers eventually die from lung cancer or another smoking-related illness. And a quarter of smokers die in middle age - between 35 and 69.

The good news is that most of these deaths are preventable by giving up smoking in time. The best way to reduce the risk of cancer is to give up smoking completely.

Getting help to quit smoking

Local NHS Stop Smoking Services offer ongoing free face-to-face support and advice close to people's homes. There are over 150 throughout the country, offering a range of services including one-to-one or group support sessions with trained stop smoking advisors.

The NHS Smokefree campaign has produced a free DVD which provides a 'behind-the-scenes' look at the full range of free stop smoking support available from NHS.

To find your local NHS Stop Smoking Service or order a free 'Get Support' DVD, visit http: //www. nhs. uk/gosmokefree or call free NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 917 6699. Lines are open seven days a week from 7am to 11pm.

Cancer Research UK's 'Sponsor me to quit' initiative invites people to raise money for the charity by getting friends and family to support their attempt to quit. Visit http: //www. sponsormetoquit. org.

UCL

Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. In government's most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 59 UCL departments achieved top ratings of 5* and 5, indicating research quality of international excellence.

UCL is in top ten world universities in 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings, and fourth-ranked UK university in 2007 league table of top 500 world universities produced by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Marie Stopes, Jonathan Dimbleby, Lord Woolf, Alexander Graham Bell, and members of band Coldplay.

Cancer Research UK

- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.

- Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer.

- Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve lives of all cancer patients.

- Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, progress that's being made and choices each person can make.

- Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in global fight against cancer.

Cancer Research UK

European clinic of plastic surgery

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Simvastatin: uses

Simvastatin is an enzyme blocker ( HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor ) , also known as a " statin " . It's used along with a proper diet to help lower cholesterol and fats ( triglycerides ) in the blood. In general, this drug is prescribed after non-drug treatment options haven't been fully successful at lowering cholesterol ( e. g. , diet change, increase in exercise, weight loss if overweight ) . Reducing cholesterol and triglycerides help prevent strokes and heart attacks.

Simvastatin is used in adults and children ( 10 years of age and older ) . Young girls must have had their menstrual periods for at least one year before starting Simvastatin.

Simvastatin: how to use

Take Simvastatin by mouth usually once daily in the evening, with or without food. Certain medical conditions ( e. g. , familial hypercholesterolemia ) may require more frequent dosage instructions as directed by your doctor.

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If we also take certain other drugs to lower your cholesterol ( bile acid-binding resins such as cholestyramine or colestipol ) , take Simvastatin at least 1 hour before or at least 2 hours after these medications.

Use Simvastatin regularly in order to get most benefit from it. Remember to use it at the same time each day. It may take up to 4 weeks before the full benefit of Simvastatin takes effect.

It's important to continue taking Simvastatin even if you feel well. Most people with high cholesterol or triglycerides don't feel sick.

Simvastatin: side effects

Stomach upset may occur while use Simvastatin. If this effect persists or worsens, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

Remember that your doctor has prescribed Simvastatin because he or she has judged that benefit to we is greater than risk of side effects. Many people using Simvastatin don't have serious side effects.

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Simvastatin: precautions

Before taking Simvastatin, tell your doctor or pharmacist if we are allergic to it; or to other " statins " ; or if you have any other allergies.

Simvastatin should not be used if we have certain medical conditions. Before using this medicine, consult your doctor or pharmacist if we have:

Before using Simvastatin, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of:

The rare development of severe muscle damage ( see Side Effects ) can infrequently lead to serious kidney problems. Simvastatin is usually temporarily stopped if we have any condition which can increase your risk of developing kidney problems. Before stopping your medication, notify your doctor immediately if we have any of following conditions:

Limit alcoholic beverages. Daily use of alcohol may increase your chance for serious side effects.

Caution is advised when using Simvastatin in elderly because they may be more sensitive to side effects of the drug, especially muscle damage.

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It isn't known if Simvastatin passes into breast milk. Because of potential risk of undesirable effects on a nursing infant, breast-feeding isn't recommended while using Simvastatin. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

Simvastatin: interactions

Your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.

See also How To Use section.

Simvastatin shouldn't be used with following medications because very serious, possibly fatal interactions may occur:

If we are currently using any of these medications, tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting Simvastatin.

Use caution if following drugs are combined with Simvastatin because serious side effects such as muscle injury ( myopathy ) infrequently could occur:

Before using Simvastatin, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use, especially of:

This document doesn't contain all possible interactions. Therefore, before using Simvastatin, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all products we use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share list with your doctor and pharmacist.

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