Integrating tobacco treatment into thoracic oncology settings: Lessons learned.

Clinical practice guidelines recommend tobacco treatment for all cancer patients. However, little is known about how to integrate tobacco treatment into cancer care. The results of our pilot study of an evidence-based tobacco treatment integrated into a thoracic oncology clinic demonstrated good feasibility and efficacy, providing an opportunity to inform future tobacco treatment integration efforts. Here, we describe the process of intervention development, clinic integration, patient identification, and patient enrollment. We report on the intervention content and delivery, patterns of quitting for participants in the tobacco treatment group, and changes in smoking-related psychosocial variables. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Childhood Cancer Survivor Study participants' perceptions and knowledge of health insurance coverage: implications for the Affordable Care Act.

INTRODUCTION: Childhood cancer survivors face long-term health consequences, and comprehensive health insurance is critical. However, childhood cancer survivors may face barriers in accessing medical services due to being uninsured or underinsured. Little is known about the quality of survivors' health insurance coverage, and improving health insurance within the context of changes mandated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act requires understanding survivors' coverage. The current study explored adult childhood cancer survivors' quality of health insurance coverage. METHODS: From 9/09 to 2/10, we conducted in-depth, semistructured qualitative interviews with 39 adult participants from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a cohort of 5-year survivors of cancers diagnosed before age 21. Interviews were recorded and transcribed; content analyses were conducted by two coders (kappa = 0.88) using NVivo 8. RESULTS: Most insured survivors reported satisfaction with the quality of their coverage; however, they expressed low expectations. Almost half reported annual out-of-pocket costs exceeding $2,000, yet most felt fortunate to simply have coverage. One third of insured survivors had difficulty obtaining coverage, and many had difficulties understanding how to utilize it. Most uninsured survivors minimized their need for care. Worry about future health care costs seemed inevitable among insured and uninsured survivors. Almost all participants lacked knowledge about existing health insurance-related laws. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Insured survivors had low coverage expectations, and uninsured survivors avoided care. Childhood cancer survivors will likely benefit from assistance in how to access and utilize the new health care reform provisions (e.g., Medicaid expansion, expansion of parents' insurance, and mandatory primary care coverage).

A snapshot of smokers after lung and colorectal cancer diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Continued smoking after a cancer diagnosis may adversely affect treatment effectiveness, subsequent cancer risk, and survival. The prevalence of continued smoking after cancer diagnosis is understudied. METHODS: In the multi-regional Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance cohort (lung cancer [N = 2456], colorectal cancer [N = 3063]), the authors examined smoking rates at diagnosis and 5 months after diagnosis and also study factors associated with continued smoking. RESULTS: Overall, 90.2% of patients with lung cancer and 54.8% of patients with colorectal cancer reported ever smoking. At diagnosis, 38.7% of patients with lung cancer and 13.7% of patients with colorectal cancer were smoking; whereas, 5 months after diagnosis, 14.2% of patients with lung cancer and 9.0% of patients with colorectal cancer were smoking. Factors that were associated independently with continued smoking among patients with nonmetastatic lung cancer were coverage by Medicare, other public/unspecified insurance, not receiving chemotherapy, not undergoing surgery, prior cardiovascular disease, lower body mass index, lower emotional support, and higher daily ever-smoking rates (all P < .05). Factors that were associated independently with continued smoking among patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer were male sex, high school education, being uninsured, not undergoing surgery, and higher daily ever-smoking rates (all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: After diagnosis, a substantial minority of patients with lung and colorectal cancers continued smoking. Patients with lung cancer had higher rates of smoking at diagnosis and after diagnosis; whereas patients with colorectal cancer were less likely to quit smoking after diagnosis. Factors that were associated with continued smoking differed between lung and colorectal cancer patients. Future smoking-cessation efforts should examine differences by cancer type, particularly when comparing cancers for which smoking is a well established risk factor versus cancers for which it is not.