Q&A: Smoking Cessation Experts Answer Calls

Lung cancer awareness increased dramatically this year when a number of celebrities such as Peter Jennings and Dana Reeve were diagnosed with the disease.

In response to public interest about cancer as well as smoking, M. D. Anderson smoking cessation experts partnered with KPRC-TV Channel 2, a local Houston television station, for a special stop-smoking event called "Time 2 Quit Smoking Houston".

Faculty from M. D. Anderson's various smoking cessation programs fielded non-stop phone calls from the general public for 2 hours. They provided brief counseling and referred callers to appropriate tobacco clinical trials, the teen-focused ASPIRE website, the M. D. Anderson Information Line or the M. D. Anderson website.

Among the participants were Ellen Gritz, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Behavioral Science; Alex Prokhorov, M.D., Ph.D., professor in Behavioral Science; and David Wetter, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Health Disparities Research. They share their experiences with callers below.

What questions did you hear most frequently?

Gritz:People asked me about the personal health consequences of smoking and how to quit, in the context of specific health conditions they had: pulmonary conditions, heart conditions, stroke and diabetes. Less frequently mentioned were cosmetic surgery, weight gain, substance abuse and mental illness. I gave a lot of referrals to ongoing trials. A couple of recent quitters called for support in their effort to remain abstinent.

Callers also asked about secondhand smoke. I suggested they work on "contracts" to ban smoking in the home and work toward the smoker being motivated to quit. Several people were concerned about family/friends who are current smokers who could develop a smoking-related disease. I described good social support and helping to boost motivation toward quitting.

Former smokers called about screening and what else they could do to prevent cancer. I described the status of chemoprevention trials at M. D. Anderson, and the existence of CT scanning, as well as the fact that it is not yet proven to be effective in reducing lung cancer mortality. Several former smokers called just to tell us their stories. I listened and applauded their strength and coping behaviors.

Prokhorov:Most people asked about the new pharmacological and behavioral methods of quitting. Many people had tried quitting, failed, and are looking for new strategies.

How many of your callers were smokers?

Gritz: I'd say half of the calls I received were from smokers.

Prokhorov:100% of my calls were from smokers.

How many callers were family and friends of smokers?

Gritz:Only about three of my calls were friends and family members of current smokers.

Prokhorov:One caller was asking about quitting for herself and her husband. I told them to team up and support each other during their next (hopefully successful) quit attempt.

How many of your callers were nonsmokers?

Gritz:I took about five calls from former smokers.

Prokhorov:None.

Why did people call into the program?

Gritz:Callers wanted to know about how to quit and avoid disease in themselves, family/friends, and to tell their story.

Prokhorov:They did not give any specific reason; however, most of them said that they are looking for an expert's advice.

Wetter:I probably had three to four people who specifically mentioned that they were deathly afraid of lung cancer because of the Peter Jennings story.

Were referrals to smoking cessation programs successful?

Gritz:I referred every smoker to several programs, including those recruiting minority participants, and a few to the chemoprevention protocol that is currently recruiting. Of course, one never knows how many of those referrals were followed up by the caller.

Prokhorov:All of my callers wrote down telephone numbers for smoking cessation projects at M. D. Anderson.

Wetter:Virtually nobody got away without being referred to one of M. D. Anderson's studies.