In the first successful randomized trial of its kind, researchers have provided preliminary evidence that telephone-based smoking cessation counseling given to smokers shortly after undergoing lung cancer screening can be effective at helping people stop smoking.
In this preliminary study, 92 people about to undergo lung cancer screening agreed to receive either telephone counseling or standard of care. Each group had an equal number of participants with abnormal screening findings, indicating possible precancerous lesions or COPD. Each group also contained an equal number of participants with minor abnormalities on their screen, as well as those with normal results. None of the participants were diagnosed with lung cancer.
These study findings were so promising that investigators have been funded through NIH to conduct a much larger study of telephone-based cessation counseling. It will enroll 1,300 patients at five medical centers nationwide.
Smoking Cessation Counseling Successful when Paired with Lung Cancer Screening
