Smoking Cessation Before Bronchoscopy or CT-guided Puncture

Official title

Smoking Cessation Before Intervention in Patients With Pulmonary Nodules Requiring Further Diagnosis

Overview

Nicotine is the most common preventable cause of death and is responsible for over seven million deaths worldwide. If current trends continue, tobacco will kill more than eight million people worldwide every year by 2030. Smoking tobacco products is the most important risk factor for the development of lung cancer. Passive smoking is also a major cause of lung cancer. Since July 2024, smokers and former smokers have been able to receive a low-radiation CT scan under certain conditions to detect lung cancer at an early stage. It is therefore to be expected that the number of diagnoses of pulmonary lesions or nodules will increase in the near future. The risk of developing and dying from tobacco-related diseases is reduced once nicotine cessation begins. Screening all patients for tobacco use, e-cigarette use, and providing behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy to quit smoking are among the most valuable preventive services we can offer in healthcare. Nicotine dependence can be estimated using the so-called Fagerström test. An additional evaluation of nicotine behavior can be carried out by testing cotinine in urine, a method that is used, for example, in the listing for lung transplantation. Cotinine is a degradation product of nicotine that can be detected in the urine of smokers and passive smokers. Cotinine levels in urine depend on the frequency and quantity of nicotine consumption. The half-life of cotinine is 16 to 22 hours, which means that half of the cotinine is excreted from the body after this time. Another marker that can be used as a measure of tobacco consumption is carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb). This is hemoglobin with carbon monoxide at the binding site for oxygen. The reference range for carboxyhaemoglobin is 0.4 - 1.6 %. In smokers, values of 3-10 % are still considered normal. In our department, the smoking status of patients is assessed upon first contact. Support options for smoking cessation are offered and, upon request, initiated. Previous studies have shown that smoking is a risk factor for complications after thoracic surgical procedures and that patients who underwent thoracic surgery quit smoking almost twice as often compared to patients who did not undergo surgery. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is currently no study regarding smoking cessation before intervention in patients with nodules needing clarification (bronchoscopy or CT-guided puncture). Therefore, the aim of the study is to support and monitor smoking cessation before intervention in patients with nodules needing further diagnosis (bronchoscopy or CT-guided puncture).

Detailed description

Patients who present to our outpatient clinic for the evaluation of a concerning round lesion (V1) are asked during the medical history taking whether they currently smoke. If the question is answered affirmatively, patients are urgently advised to quit smoking immediately. Support options for smoking cessation are presented, and if desired, a connection to a smoking cessation counseling program of the Federal Institute for Public Health ('rauchfrei ticket') is established. Furthermore, nicotine dependence is assessed using the Fagerström test, while COHb is determined through blood gas analysis and cotinine is measured in urine. During the planned result discussion (V2) after the inpatient stay for histological confirmation (either via bronchoscopy or CT-guided puncture), patients are asked if they have quit smoking and COHb and cotinine are measured again. After 3 months (V3), these values will be measured conclusively. In addition, the following data will be collected and documented from the patients: age, gender, height, weight, current medication, other illnesses, and current body plethysmography. Participation in the study does not change the course of the patients' stay in our clinic.

Primary outcome measures

• Smoking Cessation [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the observation period 3 months later]

Secondary outcome measures (4)

• Analysis of demographic data [Time frame: Within 3 months]
• Spirometry (Lungfunction) [Time frame: Within 3 Months]
• Bodyplethysmography (Lungfunction) [Time frame: Within 3 months]
• Diffusing capacity (lungfunction) [Time frame: Within 3 months]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• The patient is an active smoker by the time of the initial presentation in our pneumological outpatient clinic for the clarification of a suspicious nodule

Exclusion criteria

• Current or past medically relevant illness or treatment that could affect the evaluability of the study.
• Expected lack of willingness to actively participate in study-related measures.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Observational model

Cohort

Study locations

Germany · 1 center

• University RWTH Aachen — Aachen

Publications

• Mustoe MM, Clark JM, Huynh TT, Tong EK, Wolf TP, Brown LM, Cooke DT. Engagement and Effectiveness of a Smoking Cessation Quitline Intervention in a Thoracic Surgery Clinic. JAMA Surg. 2020 Sep 1;155(9):816-822. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2020.1915. PMID 32609348
• Wong C, Mohamad Asfia SKB, Myles PS, Cunningham J, Greenhalgh EM, Dean E, Doncovio S, Briggs L, Graves N, McCaffrey N. Smoking and Complications After Cancer Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Mar 3;8(3):e250295. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0295. PMID 40053349
• Marrufo AS, Kozower BD, Tancredi DJ, Nuno M, Cooke DT, Pollock BH, Romano PS, Brown LM. Thoracic Surgeons' Beliefs and Practices on Smoking Cessation Before Lung Resection. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 May;107(5):1494-1499. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2018.11.055. Epub 2018 Dec 23. PMID 30586576
• Patnode CD, Henderson JT, Coppola EL, Melnikow J, Durbin S, Thomas RG. Interventions for Tobacco Cessation in Adults, Including Pregnant Persons: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA. 2021 Jan 19;325(3):280-298. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.23541. PMID 33464342
• Maciosek MV, Coffield AB, Edwards NM, Flottemesch TJ, Goodman MJ, Solberg LI. Priorities among effective clinical preventive services: results of a systematic review and analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2006 Jul;31(1):52-61. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2006.03.012. PMID 16777543
• Jha P, Ramasundarahettige C, Landsman V, Rostron B, Thun M, Anderson RN, McAfee T, Peto R. 21st-century hazards of smoking and benefits of cessation in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jan 24;368(4):341-50. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa1211128. PMID 23343063
• Anthonisen NR, Skeans MA, Wise RA, Manfreda J, Kanner RE, Connett JE; Lung Health Study Research Group. The effects of a smoking cessation intervention on 14.5-year mortality: a randomized clinical trial. Ann Intern Med. 2005 Feb 15;142(4):233-9. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-142-4-200502150-00005. PMID 15710956
• Doll R, Peto R, Boreham J, Sutherland I. Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observations on male British doctors. BMJ. 2004 Jun 26;328(7455):1519. doi: 10.1136/bmj.38142.554479.AE. Epub 2004 Jun 22. PMID 15213107

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07322796 · 25-251

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗