Objective: Although it is known that there are health risks associated with smoking, patients with lung cancer continue to smoke, which leads to a decrease in survival. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the desire to smoke and dyspnea in patients with lung cancer.

Participants and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the medical oncology outpatient clinic and medical oncology outpatient unit of Konya City Hospital in Turkey. The sample consisted of 157 volunteer patients who met the inclusion criteria. The data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Dyspnea-12 Scale, and the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges.

Results: It was found that the number of patients with lung cancer who continue to smoke is at a rate that cannot be ignored and their desire to smoke continues. The study revealed a moderate negative relationship between the duration of smoking cessation and the desire to smoke, and a weak positive relationship between the total years of smoking and the desire to smoke (p=0.000). It was found that the dyspnea status of lung cancer patients significantly predicted the desire to smoke (p<0.05).