Current substance use in patients with gastric cancer in Southern Iran

Background: Psychiatric disorders may affect patients suffering from cancer and substance use disorders.
Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of tobacco and opioid use in patients with gastric cancer in Shiraz, Fars Province and Southern Iran.
Materials and Methods: In a hospital survey of 177 gastric cancer patients aged 24 years and more, a semistructured-interview was performed based on SDM-IV criteria during the year 2003.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 58.13 (SD=14.03) years. Among the subjects, 50.9% (90) were tobacco dependent (61.5% men and 29.4% women, P < 0.001), while 10 (5.7%) were opioid-dependent (7.3% men and 1.9% women, P =0.16). Tobacco and opioid-dependency were not significantly related to age groups, economical or occupational status. Mean ages of tobacco and opioid-dependants were not significantly different from nondependants.
Conclusions: Tobacco and opioid dependency were common problems among gastric cancer patients. This report provides useful information for health planning. Men were at greater risk than women. Treatment programs should focus on all age-groups, all occupations and all income-levels.