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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Jul;40(7):1534-1547.
doi: 10.1002/hed.25148. Epub 2018 Mar 15.

Pilot randomized controlled trial of a comprehensive smoking cessation intervention for patients with upper aerodigestive cancer undergoing radiotherapy

Eleni M Rettig  1 , Carole Fakhry  1   2 , Russell K Hales  3 , Flora Kisuule  4 , Harry Quon  1   3 , Ana P Kiess  3 , Linda X Yin  1 , Yuehan Zhang  2 , Amanda L Blackford  5 , M Bradley Drummond  4 , Christine G Gourin  1 , Wayne M Koch  1 , David W Eisele  1 , Gypsyamber D'Souza  1   2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Pilot randomized controlled trial of a comprehensive smoking cessation intervention for patients with upper aerodigestive cancer undergoing radiotherapy

Eleni M Rettig et al. Head Neck. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Smoking among patients with cancer is associated with poor outcomes, however, smoking cessation interventions have had limited success.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial compared a novel smoking cessation intervention ("intervention") with enhanced usual care ("control"). Participants were smokers with head and neck or thoracic malignancies undergoing radiation. Controls received brief counseling. Intervention participants received intensive counseling, pharmacotherapy, text-messaging, and financial incentives. Biochemically confirmed 7-day abstinence at 8 weeks was compared using Fisher's exact t test. Smoking abstinence and intensity were also analyzed using time-series panel regression.

Results: The study population comprised 19 intervention and 10 control participants. More intervention (74%) than control (30%) participants abstained from smoking at 8 weeks (P = .05). Intervention participants were significantly more likely to abstain (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 14.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.56-60.76) and smoked fewer cigarettes (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.16; 95% CI 0.06-0.40) during weeks 1 to 8.

Conclusion: This intervention decreased smoking among patients with upper aerodigestive cancers during radiotherapy.

Keywords: head and neck cancer; lung cancer; radiotherapy; smoking cessation intervention; tobacco dependence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

None declared.

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