Smoking Cessation Interventions During Lung Cancer Screening
Posted: Monday, April 6, 2020
According to Rafael Meza, PhD, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues, including smoking cessation interventions with existing lung cancer screening efforts may reduce lung cancer mortality by 14% and increase life-years by 81% compared with screening alone. The researchers noted that further evaluation of specific cessation interventions within a lung cancer screening is necessary to determine the most effective strategies. Their findings were published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
“Most of these great benefits won’t be realized unless lung screening uptake is improved. So, more work is needed to promote lung cancer screening and facilitate access, particularly for those at highest risk,” said study coauthor Pianpian Cao, MPH, in an International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer press release
Dr. Meza and colleagues used an established lung cancer simulation model to compare the effects on mortality of a hypothetical one-time cessation intervention and annual screening compared with annual screening alone among screen-eligible individuals born in 1950 or 1960. They found that smoking cessation reduced lung cancer mortality and decreased overall deaths versus screening alone across all assumptions. For example, they noted, if screening was used by 30% of screen-eligible individuals born in 1950, adding an intervention with a 10% quit probability would reduce lung cancer deaths by 14% and increase life-years gained by 81% compared with screening alone.
“The future population impact of providing cessation with lung cancer screening is expected to be dynamic on the basis of changing trends in tobacco use and products, reach of screening, and ability to fully integrate cessation and screening into clinical workflow,” the authors concluded.
Disclosure: The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
