How MD Anderson achieved a 45% smoking cessation rate among patients

Mackenzie Bean -

Nearly half of the patients participating in MD Anderson Cancer Center's tobacco treatment program achieved smoking cessation, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

For the study, researchers at Houston-based MD Anderson analyzed data on 3,245 smokers who participated in the medical center's tobacco treatment program between 2006 and 2015. 

The program entails an in-person medical consultation, up to eight follow-up counseling sessions and 10 to 12 weeks of pharmacotherapy.

Three months after completing the program, the average smoking abstinence rate among patients was 45.1 percent. This rate changed to 45.8 percent at six months and 43.7 percent at nine months. Researchers also found that smoking abstinence rates did not significantly differ between patients with and without cancer.

Based on these findings, the researchers said comprehensive tobacco treatment programs should be integrated in the oncological setting as a clinical standard of care. 

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