The finding of premalignant lesions is not associated with smoking cessation in chemoprevention study volunteers.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Screening programs for lung cancer may lead to a heightened awareness of the risks of smoking and enhance quitting. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the participation on a chemoprevention study for premalignant lesions could influence smoking cessation.

METHODS

Two hundred one volunteers, current (n = 188) and former smokers (n = 13) with more than 20 pack years had been screened for the chemoprevention study. One hundred forty-six of the current smokers at time of chemoprevention study screening have been retrospectively interviewed about their smoking behavior > or =1 year after their first contact for the chemoprevention study. Structured questionnaires were used, and interviews were held by telephone. The quitters at the time of these first interviews were contacted again 4 years after the initial interview about their current smoking behavior.

RESULTS

Of the 146 smoking volunteers, 83 were diagnosed with premalignant lesions of the bronchial mucosa and participated in the chemoprevention study, and 63 had no premalignant lesions and were not included in that study.The majority of participants were men: 87 (60%). The mean age of the participants was 52 +/- 9 years, and the mean age at which volunteers started smoking was 15 +/- 3. Mean number of pack years was 47 +/- 27. Ten volunteers in the group without premalignant lesions and 19 in the group with premalignant lesions had quit smoking at time of the first interview. The smoking cessation rate of the total study group was 20%.Univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that smoking cessation was only significantly associated with male gender. No significant associations were found between smoking cessation and the finding of premalignant lesions, sex, age, level of addiction, educational level, marital condition, history of cancer/pulmonary diseases, age at start smoking, previous attempts to quit smoking, and motivation to quit smoking.Within the group of subjects who had quit smoking at the time of the first interview, 15 of 29 persons who had stopped smoking at the time of the first interview have reported that participation in the bronchoscopy screening and/or the trial has been of major influence on their decision to stop smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

A smoking cessation rate of 20% has been found among volunteers for a chemopreventive trial investigating smoking-related premalignant lesions after almost 2 years after initial contact has been found. Volunteers experienced screening and trial participation as having influenced their smoking cessation. Smoking cessation was significantly associated with male gender, whereas the finding of premalignant lesions by bronchoscopy was not.