Proactive Outreach for Smoking Cessation Treatment Shows Potential for Patients With Cancer

Key Takeaways:

• Refined inclusion criteria and accurate data necessary to improve patient outreach: Out of the 574 patients identified as eligible at the beginning of the study, only 52 (9.1%) enrolled in the trial. This percentage was negatively impacted by inaccurate data, as a total of 208 (36.2%) patients were determined ineligible after already having been contacted for the study.
• Acceptability ratings among enrolled patients show promise for future studies: The majority of patients enrolled in the trial followed through with the treatment. Over 88% participated in at least some of the counseling sessions, and 73% of patients given medication requested refills.
• Higher patient satisfaction in Enhanced Care than Standard Care: While patient engagement in both treatments was comparable, Enhanced Care recorded more positive patient ratings than Standard Care.

A pilot comparative study assessed the reach, acceptability, and effectiveness of proactive, targeted medication and cancer-focused counseling for patients with cancer. This study compared standard smoking cessation treatment with an enhanced varenicline treatment. The standard treatment involves 2 weeks using a nicotine patch and 3 counseling calls while the enhanced version consisted of 12 weeks with varenicline and 7 cancer-focused counseling calls.

Study Findings

Although 574 patients were initially identified as eligible for outreach, only 52 (9.1%) enrolled in the trial. However, 53 (9.2%) patients were determined ineligible before the trial screening and another 155 (27%) were found ineligible after the screening, showing the importance of accurate data and outreach criteria. Despite this low percentage of enrollees, this small population is still meaningful as it is greater than the previously reported 4.7% rate of cancer patients willing to accept smoking treatment.

Half the group (26 patients) received Standard Care, and the other half received Enhanced Care. During the 12-week follow-up, outreach was successful for 22 (84.6%) patients in Standard Care and 24 (92.3%) patients in Enhanced Care.

The statistics of acceptability were high for those enrolled in the program. Over 88% of patients engaged in some of the counseling sessions. The majority of the available counseling calls were completed: 71.8% of calls in Standard Care and 64.8% in Enhanced. Enhanced Care involved more counseling calls, so follow-through for patients might have been more challenging.

Out of the 52 patients, 90% were given medication, and 73% requested at least 1 refill during the study period. Rates of delivering treatment were comparable in both cohorts, although Enhanced Care recorded more requests for medication refills.

While results for counseling and medication were similar between types of treatment, patient satisfaction was notably higher in Enhanced Care than Standard. Standard Care ratings were favorable, but Enhanced Care’s ratings were more positive and indicate promising preliminary effects on this type of treatment.

Implications for Future Trials

Outreach might be low, but it is still an improvement in the current percentage of cancer patients undergoing smoking cessation treatment. Proactive offers of treatment were well-received overall, indicating the potential of this approach. Acceptability was much higher, with the majority of patients enrolled remaining engaged throughout the whole trial.

This study was conducted in a single cancer center in the Midwest, so the results do not encompass a broad patient population. Further research to observe this treatment’s impact on a larger cohort and across multiple care settings is required.

The authors noted, “If the effects of this research are replicated, it would suggest that patients with cancer would benefit from the proactive provision of relatively intensive, cancer-focused treatment by cancer care programs.”

Reference

Kaye JT, Piasecki TM, Fiore MC, et al. Reach, acceptability, and effectiveness of proactive outreach and varenicline with cancer-focused counseling for patients with cancer: a pilot randomized comparative effectiveness trial. JCO Oncol Adv. 2026;3(1). doi:10.1200/OA-25-00169