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New treatments for smoking cessation
1Department of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont in Burlington, USA.
CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians
|July 21, 2000
Summary
Physician advice and evidence-based treatments, including medications and behavioral therapy, effectively help smokers quit. These interventions double quit rates with minimal adverse events, supporting permanent smoking cessation.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Addiction Medicine
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Smoking cessation is a critical strategy for cancer prevention.
- Physician counseling significantly motivates patients to quit smoking.
- Current guidelines recommend pharmacotherapy and psychosocial therapies for smokers aiming to quit.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effectiveness and safety of smoking cessation interventions.
- To inform clinicians on best practices for aiding smokers in quitting.
- To highlight the role of medications and behavioral therapy in smoking cessation.
Main Methods:
- Review of evidence on smoking cessation medications and therapies.
- Analysis of quit rates and adverse event data.
- Examination of current clinical guidelines and future trends in cessation support.
Main Results:
- Brief clinician advice increases smoking cessation rates.
- Five medications (bupropion, nicotine replacement therapies) and behavioral therapy are equally effective, doubling quit rates.
- Adverse events leading to dropout are less than 5% for these treatments.
Conclusions:
- Clinicians should encourage all smokers to use proven cessation aids.
- Patients can select treatments based on personal preference, as no definitive treatment-matching protocol exists.
- Future cessation efforts will increasingly focus on pharmacotherapy for severe nicotine dependence and psychiatric comorbidities.