ATS: More Smoking Cessation Interventions Needed in Lung Cancer Screening Setting

More research is warranted regarding the implementation of smoking cessation interventions with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening, according to a recent research statement from the American Thoracic Society (ATS).

Currently, smoking cessation counseling combined with LDCT lung cancer screening is recommended in various clinical practice guidelines. However, the optimal approach for integrating effective smoking cessation interventions in this setting has yet to be determined.
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To explore this further, the ATS convened a committee of multiple stakeholders with expertise in tobacco dependence treatment and/or LDCT screening. The committee met in person to assess evidence and identify research gaps.

Important questions were identified regarding target population to study; adaptation, development, and testing of interventions; and implementation of interventions with proven efficacy. Standardized methods for use in conducting this research were also evaluated. Subsequently, in an online survey, a larger panel of stakeholders ranked research questions based on perceived importance, and final prioritization was determined hierarchically based on average assigned rank.

In terms of a target population of study, there was little consensus in the committee regarding which questions were of highest priority. Regarding interventions, the highest-ranking priority among stakeholders was research evaluating the effectiveness in the lung cancer screening setting of evidence-based smoking cessation interventions that have demonstrated efficacy in other settings.

Finally, in terms of implementation of interventions, understanding strategies to identify and overcome barriers to integrating smoking cessation in lung cancer screening settings was the highest-ranking priority.

“This statement offers an agenda to stimulate research surrounding the integration and implementation of smoking cessation interventions with LDCT lung cancer screening,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Kathuria H, Detterbeck FC, Fathi JT; ATS Assembly on Thoracic Oncology. Stakeholder research priorities for smoking cessation interventions within lung cancer screening programs. An official American Thoracic Society research statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017;196(9). http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.201709-1858ST.