Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Feb;27(2):471-476.
doi: 10.1002/pon.4483. Epub 2017 Aug 4.

Cancer-related disease factors and smoking cessation treatment: Analysis of an ongoing clinical trial

Allison J Carroll  1 , Anna K Veluz-Wilkins  1 , Sonja Blazekovic  2 , Ravi Kalhan  1 , Frank T Leone  2 , E Paul Wileyto  2 , Robert A Schnoll  2 , Brian Hitsman  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Cancer-related disease factors and smoking cessation treatment: Analysis of an ongoing clinical trial

Allison J Carroll et al. Psychooncology. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Smoking cessation treatment should be an important aspect of cancer care. In this study, we evaluated whether cancer-related disease factors adversely influence smoking cessation treatment.

Methods: Smokers with cancer (within 5 years of diagnosis, any tumor site) were recruited for an ongoing trial of varenicline for smoking cessation. Disease factors, assessed at baseline, included tumor site, cancer treatment, time since diagnosis, and health-related quality of life. Medication adherence was defined by 132 of 165 pills taken and counseling adherence was defined by 4 of 4 behavioral counseling sessions attended. Abstinence was bioverified at Week 12. Using logistic regression analysis, we assessed the relationship between disease factors and 12-week medication adherence, counseling adherence, and abstinence.

Results: Of 144 participants, 56% were medication adherent, 74% were counseling adherent, and 39% were abstinent. Health-related quality of life predicted medication adherence (OR: 1.08, 95% CI, 1.01-1.16, P = .019, d = 0.20) but not counseling adherence or 12-week abstinence. Tumor site, cancer treatment, and time since diagnosis did not predict any smoking cessation treatment outcomes.

Conclusions: Cancer-related disease factors did not predict cancer survivors' engagement or success in smoking cessation treatment. Findings support National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice guidelines that recommend smoking cessation treatment for all smokers with cancer, regardless of time since diagnosis.

Keywords: cancer; cancer survivors; clinical trial; oncology; smoking cessation; treatment adherence; varenicline.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Dr. Schnoll and Dr. Hitsman receive medication and placebo free from Pfizer, and Dr. Schnoll has provided consultation to Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. Aside from providing the medication and placebo, these companies had no involvement in this study.

References

    1. USDHHS. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014.
    1. Cox LS, Africano NL, Tercyak KP, Taylor KL. Nicotine dependence treatment for patients with cancer. Cancer. 2003;98(3):632–44. - PubMed
    1. Burris JL, Studts JL, DeRosa AP, Ostroff JS. Systematic review of tobacco use after lung or head/neck cancer diagnosis: Results and recommendations for future research. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2015;24(10):1450–61. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blanchard CM, Courneya KS, Stein K. Cancer survivors’ adherence to lifestyle behavior recommendations and associations with health-related quality of life: results from the American Cancer Society’s SCS-II. J Clin Oncol. 2008;26(13):2198–204. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance of Demographic Characteristics and Health Behaviors Among Adult Cancer Survivors — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(1):1–23. - PubMed

Publication types