A Novel Tobacco Cessation Resource for Smokers With a Diagnosed or Suspected Thoracic Cancer

Overview

This clinical trial evaluates the feasibility of a novel tobacco cessation resource called a Buckeye Quit Stick among smokers with a diagnosed or suspected thoracic cancer. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. While the benefits of quitting smoking are numerous, rates of persistent smoking after cancer diagnosis remain high. Research has found that patients who quit smoking but subsequently relapse frequently report the hand/oral habit as a barrier to sustained smoking cessation. The Buckeye Quit Stick is an innovative cessation aid designed to directly address patients' hand/oral habit by substituting the cessation aid for cigarettes without integrating pharmacologic intervention, which is typically managed by their medical provider and may require direct supervision due to the patient's health status. The Buckeye Quit Stick is designed to satisfy the repeated hand/oral pattern or ritual, thereby avoiding the physical loss of holding a cigarette in the hand or mouth and the action of smoking. It may also help occupy fidgeting hands and potentially reduce stress and cravings. This novel cessation resource may address key factors that influence smoking abstinence and improve patients' health outcomes.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the Buckeye Quit Stick among 30 patients seen in the Ohio State University (OSU) thoracic clinic(s) and to characterize frequency of use among the accrued sample. EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES: I. Characterizing the population. II. Determining communication preferences, acceptance of the Buckeye Quit Stick, abstinence estimates. III. Assessing the quality of subjective measures (e.g., anxiety, quality of life, etc.). IV. Gathering qualitative data to elicit participant feedback regarding the device, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) smoking cessation clinic, and overall study design. OUTLINE: Patients receive a Buckeye Quit Stick and a smoking cessation informational packet on study. Patients also receive a referral to the James CCC smoking cessation clinic on study. After completion of study intervention, patients are followed up at 2 weeks, 3 and 6 months, and then up to 24 months.