ASPO Abstracts

Building a Tobacco Cessation Program: A Pilot Study in the Thoracic Oncology Setting

Authors: Laforet P, Duran-Becerra B, Albert D, Bulman W, Ward A, Sandoval R, Eusebio A, Neugut AI, Demir D, Stoopler M, Terry MB, Hillyer GC

Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2020

Abstract Body:
According to the American Cancer Society, 18% of patients diagnosed with cancer are current tobacco users (2018). Tobacco cessation is especially important among cancer patients as continued smoking is associated with decreased effectiveness of cancer treatment and the development of secondary cancers and recurrence of primary cancer. A preliminary assessment of smoking status among cancer patients at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) done by extracting social history from the electronic health record showed that of the 539 patients scheduled in Thoracic Oncology during a 6 month period in 2019, 7.1% were current smokers, 36.7% were former smokers, 21.1% were never smokers, and 34.3% had an unknown smoking status. We designed a program in order to offer treatment services to patients who were current smokers and aimed to determine the smoking status of the patients whose status was unknown. This program was then pilot tested in the Thoracic Oncology service at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). During this pilot test of the program, the Thoracic patient navigator utilized the daily list of scheduled appointments in the Thoracic service to identify new patients and approached each new patient to identify their smoking status. Once smoking status was identified, the patient navigator provided the patient with brief education on the benefits of tobacco cessation and a pamphlet with information regarding the program. The patient navigator also approached patients whom Thoracic Oncology providers had identified as current smokers. Patients who were current smokers were asked if they would like to participate in the program, and interested patients were enrolled. Patients who were enrolled into the program were then referred to the Tobacco Treatment Specialist for treatment. The number of patients that were approached and enrolled into the program to receive services has grown steadily, but was initially limited due to staffing limitations. To date, 24 Thoracic patients with cancer have been referred to the program using the pilot study approach. The program has since obtained additional staff members to approach more patients and offer treatment services, and efforts to expand to other services within the HICCC are currently underway.

Keywords: Tobacco Cessation, Thoracic Oncology, Patient Navigation