Personalized Approach Increases Patient Engagement in Smoking Cessation

About 15% of all newly diagnosed cancer patients are current smokers and report continued smoking after diagnosis. While quitting leads to more positive outcomes, continued smoking is associated with treatment complications, cancer progression, secondary cancers, recurrence and death. 

Although clinical guidelines emphasize the importance of providing smoking cessation resources to patients, there has been little research on identifying the most effective methods.  

A new study has compared sustained telehealth counseling plus medication to referrals to the National Cancer Institute Quitline in helping patients recently diagnosed with cancer quick smoking.  

Quitline vs. In-house Program 

The study reaffirms that a personalized in-house cessation program, such as the one offered at Moffitt Cancer Center, provides patients the best opportunity to quit smoking for good.  

Patients with a history of smoking who come to Moffitt receive a call from the Quitline, a national toll-free service that automatically connects callers to their state's tobacco cessation program. They can also be referred to the cessation program by their oncologist.  

According to Lisa Sloan, a tobacco treatment specialist at Moffitt, about 3% to 5% of patients engage with the Quitline, compared with a 70% to 80% engagement rate among patients referred to Moffitt's in-house Tobacco Treatment Program. 

"My job is to make quitting as comfortable as possible for patients with a combination of cessation medicine and emotional support," Sloan said. 

The new study results reflect what Sloan sees at Moffitt. Among recently diagnosed patients enrolled in the trial, those who participated in free sustained telehealth counseling program nearly doubled the six-month quit rates compared to those who just utilized the Quitline.  

Most patients Sloan sees are referred by their oncologist or another member of their care team. 

"When someone's provider recommends our program, we see service utilization rates that are 10 times higher," Sloan said. "Patients often trust their oncologists, and that trust goes a long way." 

Smoking and Cancer Treatment  

A study published in JAMA Oncology found that quitting smoking at or following a cancer diagnosis can improve survival across various types of cancer, especially for patients who start a smoking cessation program within six months of diagnosis.  

Researchers found that quitting smoking at three months, six months and nine months reduced mortality across all cancer types by 26%, 22% and 16%. 

Sloan contacts about 200 patients each month. She develops personalized treatment plans based on each patient's habits and individual needs. 

"At Moffitt, when we treat our patients' cancer, we use a personalized approach, so we want to have that same approach of creating a plan that is unique to each patient when it comes to quitting smoking," Sloan said.