Treating Smoking in Cancer Patients: An Essential Component of Cancer Care-The New National Cancer Institute Tobacco Control Monograph

Cancer treatments as paradoxical catalysts of tumor awakening in the lung

Much of the fatality of tumors is linked to the growth of metastases, which can emerge months to years after apparently successful treatment of primary tumors. Metastases arise from disseminated tumor cells (DTCs), which disperse through the body in a dormant state to seed distant sites. While some DTCs lodge in pre-metastatic niches (PMNs) and rapidly develop into metastases, other DTCs settle in distinct microenvironments that maintain them in a dormant state. Subsequent awakening, induced by changes in the microenvironment of the DTC, causes outgrowth of metastases. Hence, there has been extensive investigation of the factors causing survival and subsequent awakening of DTCs, with the goal of disrupting these processes to decrease cancer lethality. We here provide a detailed overview of recent developments in understanding of the factors controlling dormancy and awakening in the lung, a common site of metastasis for many solid tumors. These factors include dynamic interactions between DTCs and diverse epithelial, mesenchymal, and immune cell populations resident in the lung. Paradoxically, among key triggers for metastatic outgrowth, lung tissue remodeling arising from damage induced by the treatment of primary tumors play a significant role. In addition, growing evidence emphasizes roles for inflammation and aging in opposing the factors that maintain dormancy. Finally, we discuss strategies being developed or employed to reduce the risk of metastatic recurrence.

Tobacco Quitline Retreatment Interventions Among Adults With Socioeconomic Disadvantage: A Factorial Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

A single round of standard tobacco quitline treatment may not be sufficient to sustain abstinence, particularly among people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage. Adaptive retreatment may help more individuals with socioeconomic disadvantage achieve abstinence and reduce disparities in smoking cessation outcomes.

Objective

To evaluate 4 evidence-based strategies for adults with limited education, no insurance, or Medicaid eligibility who continued smoking after quitline treatment.

Design, Setting, and Participants

A factorial randomized clinical trial with 4 factors adapting quitline strategies was conducted for participants enrolled from June 7, 2018, to January 25, 2023, with 6-month follow-up. Adults using the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line who were smoking cigarettes 3 to 6 months after prior quitline treatment who were uninsured, Medicaid insured, or had no more than a high school education were included.

Interventions

Quitline retreatment strategies were (1) increased counseling intensity (4 calls vs 1 call), (2) increased nicotine replacement therapy intensity (4 weeks of combination nicotine patch plus nicotine lozenge vs 2 weeks of nicotine patch), (3) text-message support (National Cancer Institute SmokefreeTXT program vs none), and (4) financial incentives for engagement in counseling and SmokefreeTXT ($30/call and/or 6-week SmokefreeTXT retention vs no incentives).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Primary outcome was 7-day point-prevalence biochemically confirmed abstinence 26 weeks after the target quit day. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed.

Results

Of 6019 people assessed for eligibility, 1316 (21.9%) participants were randomized (mean [SD] age, 53.1 [11.9] years; 760 [57.8%] women), and 919 (69.8%) provided final follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses showed 162 participants (12.3%) had biochemically confirmed abstinence at 26 weeks (368 [28.0% self-reported abstinence]). There were no significant main effects for the primary outcome: 1 call (11.6% [77 of 662]) vs 4 calls (13.0% [85 of 654]) (odds ratio [OR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.88-1.24), 2-week patch (11.2% [73 of 654]) vs 4-week combination nicotine replacement therapy (13.4% [89 of 662]) (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.94-1.34), no SmokefreeTXT (13.4% [88 of 657]) vs SmokefreeTXT (11.2% [74 of 659]) (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74-1.05), and no financial incentives (12.8% [85 of 662]) vs financial incentives (11.8% [77 of 654]) (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.78-1.11).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this randomized clinical trial evaluating enhancements to tobacco quitlines for adults with socioeconomic disadvantage who were smoking after quitline treatment, none of the adaptive treatment strategies robustly improved long-term abstinence. Strategies are needed to enhance quitline retreatment effectiveness for adults with socioeconomic disadvantage.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03538938.

Impact of smoking status on clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor-based regimens

BACKGROUND

Current tobacco smoking is independently associated with decreased overall survival (OS) among patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with targeted monotherapy (VEGF-TKI). Herein, we assess the influence of smoking status on the outcomes of patients with mRCC treated with the current first-line standard of care of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based regimens.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Real-world data from the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) were collected retrospectively. Patients with mRCC who received either dual ICI therapy or ICI with VEGF-TKI in the first-line setting were included and were categorized as current, former, or nonsmokers. The primary outcomes were OS, time to treatment failure (TTF), and objective response rate (ORR). OS and TTF were compared between groups using the log-rank test and multivariable Cox regression models. ORR was assessed between the 3 groups using a multivariable logistic regression model.

RESULTS

A total of 989 eligible patients were included in the analysis, with 438 (44.3%) nonsmokers, 415 (42%) former, and 136 (13.7%) current smokers. Former smokers were older and included more males, while other baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Median follow-up for OS was 21.2 months. In the univariate analysis, a significant difference between groups was observed for OS (P = .027) but not for TTF (P = .9), with current smokers having the worse 2-year OS rate (62.8% vs 70.8% and 73.1% in never and former smokers, respectively). After adjusting for potential confounders, no significant differences in OS or TTF were observed among the 3 groups. However, former smokers demonstrated a higher ORR compared to never smokers (OR 1.45, P = .02).

CONCLUSION

Smoking status does not appear to independently influence the clinical outcomes to first-line ICI-based regimens in patients with mRCC. Nonetheless, patient counseling on tobacco cessation remains a crucial aspect of managing patients with mRCC, as it significantly reduces all-cause mortality.

Contribution of County Characteristics to Disparities in Rural Mortality After Cancer Diagnosis

INTRODUCTION

Rural disparities in cancer outcomes have been widely evaluated, but limited evidence is available to describe what characteristics of rural environments contribute to the increased risk of poor outcomes. Therefore, this manuscript sought to assess the mediating effects of county characteristics on the relationship between urban/rural status and mortality among patients with cancer, characterize county profiles, and determine at-risk county profiles alongside rural settings.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2016 were assessed using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results data linked to the 2010 Rural-Urban Commuting Codes and 2010 County Health Rankings. There were 757,655 patients representing 596 counties (of 3,143 in the U.S.) and 12 states. Mediation analyses, conducted in 2023, estimated the direct contribution of rurality to 5-year all-cause survival and the contribution of the rural effect indirectly through County Health Ranking domains. Latent class analysis and survival models identified county groupings and estimated the hazard of mortality associated with class membership.

RESULTS

Rankings for premature death, clinical care, and physical environment resulted in rural patients having 17.9%-20.2% less survival time than urban patients. Of this, 4.1%-12.6% of the total excess risk was mediated by these characteristics. Patients living in rural and high-risk county classes saw higher all-cause mortality than those in urban lower-risk counties (hazard ratio=1.04, 95% CI=1.01, 1.08 and 1.07, 95% CI=1.03, 1.11).

CONCLUSIONS

Counties with poorer health rankings had increased mortality risks regardless of rurality; however, the poor rankings, notably health behaviors and social and economic factors, elevated the risk for rural counties.

Scalable Telehealth Cancer Care: integrated healthy lifestyle program to live well after cancer treatment

Northwestern University's Center for Scalable Telehealth Cancer Care (STELLAR) is 1 of 4 Cancer Moonshot Telehealth Research Centers of Excellence programs funded by the National Cancer Institute to establish an evidence base for telehealth in cancer care. STELLAR is grounded in the Institute of Medicine's vision that quality cancer care includes not only disease treatment but also promotion of long-term health and quality of life (QOL). Cigarette smoking, insufficient physical activity, and overweight and obesity often co-occur and are associated with poorer treatment response, heightened recurrence risk, decreased longevity, diminished QOL, and increased treatment cost for many cancers. These risk behaviors are prevalent in cancer survivors, but their treatment is not routinely integrated into oncology care. STELLAR aims to foster patients' long-term health and QOL by designing, implementing, and sustaining a novel telehealth treatment program for multiple risk behaviors to be integrated into standard cancer care. Telehealth delivery is evidence-based for health behavior change treatment and is well suited to overcome access and workflow barriers that can otherwise impede treatment receipt. This paper describes STELLAR's 2-arm randomized parallel group pragmatic clinical trial comparing telehealth-delivered, coach-facilitated multiple risk behavior treatment vs self-guided usual care for the outcomes of reach, effectiveness, and cost among 3000 cancer survivors who have completed curative intent treatment. This paper also discusses several challenges encountered by the STELLAR investigative team and the adaptations developed to move the research forward.

Cancer survival in sub-Saharan Africa (SURVCAN-3): a population-based study

BACKGROUND

The Cancer Survival in Africa, Asia, and South America project (SURVCAN-3) of the International Agency for Research on Cancer aims to fill gaps in the availability of population-level cancer survival estimates from countries in these regions. Here, we analysed survival for 18 cancers using data from member registries of the African Cancer Registry Network across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS

We included data on patients diagnosed with 18 cancer types between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2014, from 13 population-based cancer registries in Cotonou (Benin), Abidjan (CÔte d'Ivoire), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Eldoret and Nairobi (Kenya), Bamako (Mali), Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Eastern Cape (South Africa), Kampala (Uganda), and Bulawayo and Harare (Zimbabwe). Patients were followed up until Dec 31, 2018. Patient-level data including cancer topography and morphology, age and date at diagnosis, vital status, and date of death (if applicable) were collected. The follow-up (survival) time was measured from the date of incidence until the date of last contact, the date of death, or until the end of the study, whichever occurred first. We estimated the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival (observed, net, and age-standardised net survival) by sex, cancer type, registry, country, and human development index (HDI). 1-year and 3-year survival data were available for all registries and all cancer sites, whereas availability of 5-year survival data was slightly more variable; thus to provide medium-term survival prospects, we have focused on 3-year survival in the Results section.

FINDINGS

10 500 individuals from 13 population-based cancer registries in 11 countries were included in the survival analyses. 9177 (87·4%) of 10 500 cases were morphologically verified. Survival from cancers with a high burden and amenable to prevention was poor: the 3-year age-standardised net survival was 52·3% (95% CI 49·4-55·0) for cervical cancer, 18·1% (11·5-25·9) for liver cancer, and 32·4% (27·5-37·3) for lung cancer. Less than half of the included patients were alive 3 years after a cancer diagnosis for eight cancer types (oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach, larynx, lung, liver, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukaemia). There were differences in survival for some cancers by sex: survival was longer for females with stomach or lung cancer than males with stomach or lung cancer, and longer for males with non-Hodgkin lymphomas than females with non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Survival did not differ by country-level HDI for cancers of the oral cavity, oesophagus, liver, thyroid, and for Hodgkin lymphoma.

INTERPRETATION

For cancers for which population-level prevention strategies exist, and with relatively poor prognosis, these estimates highlight the urgent need to upscale population-level prevention activities in sub-Saharan Africa. These data are vital for providing the knowledge base for advocacy to improve access to prevention, diagnosis, and care for patients with cancers in sub-Saharan Africa.

FUNDING

Vital Strategies, the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

TRANSLATIONS

For the French and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

The Natural Trajectory of Smoking Cessation Among Cancer Patients Who Want to Quit "On Their Own": A Mixed-Methods, Longitudinal Study

INTRODUCTION

Many cancer patients who smoke cigarettes want to quit. Unfortunately, many of these cancer patients prefer to quit without the aid of pharmacotherapy or behavioral counseling. The teachable moment of cancer diagnosis might still position these cancer patients to make meaningful changes in their smoking behavior, but no study has documented the trajectory of smoking cessation outcomes among cancer patients who want to quit "on their own." This study aimed to fill this gap in the literature.

METHODS

In this mixed-methods, longitudinal study, 35 cancer patients who declined tobacco treatment because of the desire to quit "on their own" provided data via three surveys and 1-2 semi-structured interviews. The observation period spanned 60 days. Participants were recently diagnosed at and recruited from outpatient cancer clinics.

RESULTS

Participants were mostly female (68.57%), White, non-Hispanic (85.71%), unemployed due to disability (57.14%), and rural residents (54.29%). Across time, 43.76% of participants achieved 50% smoking reduction, 21.88% achieved 3-day floating abstinence, 18.75% achieved 7-day floating abstinence, and 12.50% achieved 30-day point-prevalence abstinence. Key themes that emerged from the interviews centered on intention and confidence to quit and types of tobacco treatment used/received.

CONCLUSIONS

This study with cancer patients who desired to quit smoking without assistance found some evidence of quit success, but success waned as criteria grew more stringent. Results showed participants' initial intention to quit unassisted was quite strong, as few reported tobacco treatment use. Interventions to increase the uptake of evidence-based tobacco treatment among cancer patients are sorely needed.

IMPLICATIONS

The preference to quit smoking without assistance is common among cancer patients, even given lack of evidence supporting its effectiveness. This study is the first to explore the trajectory of smoking cessation outcomes among cancer patients who desire to quit without assistance. These data can be used to develop interventions to increase the uptake of tobacco treatment and increase quit success among cancer patients.

Universal Tobacco Screening and Opt-Out Treatment Referral Strategy Among Patients Diagnosed With Cancer by Race and Ethnicity

This quality improvement study examines whether a universal screening and opt-out referral model could promote racial and ethnic equity in access and use of tobacco treatment among patients with cancer.

Immunotherapy and Cannabis: A Harmful Drug Interaction or Reefer Madness?

A retrospective (N = 140) and a prospective (N = 102) observational Israeli study by Bar-Sela and colleagues about cannabis potentially adversely impacting the response to immunotherapy have together been cited 202 times, including by clinical practice guidelines. There have also been concerns on PubPeer outlining irregularities and unverifiable information in their statistics and numerous errors in calculating percentages. This reanalysis attempted to verify the data analysis while including non-parametric statistics. The corrected prospective report contained 22 p-values, but only one (4.5%) could be verified despite the authors being transparent about the N and statistics employed. Cannabis users were significantly (p < 0.0025) younger than non-users, but this was not reported in the retrospective report. There were also errors in percentage calculations (e.g., 13/34 reported as 22.0% instead of 38.2%). Overall, these observational investigations, and especially the prospective, appear to contain gross inaccuracies which could impact the statistical decisions (i.e., significant findings reported as non-significant or vice-versa). Although it is mechanistically plausible that cannabis could have immunosuppressive effects which inhibit the response to immunotherapy, these two reports should be viewed cautiously. Larger prospective studies of this purported drug interaction that account for potential confounds (e.g., greater nicotine smoking among cannabis users) may be warranted.

Urologists' Perceptions and Practices Related to Patient Smoking and Cessation: A National Assessment From the 2021 American Urological Association Census

OBJECTIVE

To assess urologists' perceptions and practices related to smoking and smoking cessation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six survey questions were designed to assess beliefs, practices, and determinants related to tobacco use assessment and treatment (TUAT) in outpatient urology clinics. These questions were included in an annual census survey (2021) offered to all practicing urologists. Responses were weighted to represent the practicing US population of nonpediatric urologists (N = 12,852). The primary outcome was affirmative responses to the question, "Do you agree it is important for urologists to screen for and provide smoking cessation treatment to patients in the outpatient clinic?" Practice patterns, perceptions, and opinions of optimal care delivery were assessed.

RESULTS

In total, 98% of urologists agreed (27%) or strongly agreed (71%) that cigarette smoking is a significant contributor to urologic disease. However, only 58% agreed that TUAT is important in urology clinics. Most urologists (61%) advise patients who smoke to quit but do not provide additional cessation counseling or medications or arrange follow-up. The most frequently identified barriers to TUAT were lack of time (70%), perceptions that patients are unwilling to quit (44%), and lack of comfort prescribing cessation medications (42%). Additionally, 72% of respondents stated that urologists should provide a recommendation to quit and refer patients for cessation support.

CONCLUSION

TUAT does not routinely occur in an evidence-based fashion in outpatient urology clinics. Addressing established barriers and facilitating these practices with multilevel implementation strategies can promote tobacco treatment and improve outcomes for patients with urologic disease.

The STOP Program: a Hybrid Smoking Prevention and Cessation Training for Cancer Care Providers in Colombia and Peru

We designed and tested the feasibility of the Smoking Cessation Training Program for Oncology Practice (STOP), a hybrid (face-to-face plus web-based) educational intervention to enhance Spanish-speaking cancer care professionals' (CCPs') ability to provide brief smoking prevention and cessation counseling to cancer patients and survivors. Changes in the CCPs' competencies (knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and practices toward smoking and smoking cessation services) were assessed post-training. Sixty CCPs from one major cancer center in Colombia (n = 30) and Peru (n = 30) were invited to participate in a 4-module hybrid training program on smoking prevention and cessation. Demographic and pre- and post-test evaluation data were collected. The training's acceptability was measured after each module. Bivariate analysis was conducted using Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the CCPs' competencies before and after the delivery of the STOP Program. Effect sizes were computed over time to assess the sustainability of the acquired competencies. Twenty-nine CCPs in Colombia and 24 CCPs in Peru completed the STOP Program (96.6% and 80.0% retention rates, respectively). In both countries, 98.2% of the CCPs reported that the overall structure and organization of the program provided an excellent learning experience. The pre-post-test evaluations indicated that the CCPs significantly improved their knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and practices toward smoking, smoking prevention, and cessation services. We found that the CCPs' self-efficacy and practices increased over time (1-, 3-, and 6-month assessments after completing the 4 educational modules). The STOP Program was effective and well-received, demonstrating remarkable changes in CCPs' competencies in providing smoking prevention and cessation services to cancer patients.