Smokers undergoing lung cancer screening may have the best chance of quitting if they receive integrated care, which includes medication and comprehensive counseling with tobacco treatment specialists, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The study results, published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, demonstrated that integrated care outperformed other cessation methods with a nearly two-fold improvement in the odds of quitting. In this randomized clinical trial of 630 current smokers who were eligible for lung cancer screening, over 30% of those who received integrated care were still abstaining from smoking after six months.
"For those who smoke, lung cancer screening presents a critical opportunity for us to support them in quitting," said principal investigator Paul Cinciripini, Ph.D., chair of Behavioral Science and executive director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Program at MD Anderson. "Our study demonstrates that providing access to effective medications and trained tobacco cessation specialists offers the greatest chance at successfully quitting and, hopefully, avoiding the potential of lung cancer.”
