Characterizing tobacco use in an American cancer center’s catchment area can help direct future research priorities

Abstract

Purpose: American cancer centers supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) must ensure that their research addresses the cancer relevant needs and risks of members of their catchment area. In 2016, the NCI supported catchment area assessments. This is the first study to describe a cancer center catchment area cancer risk evaluation, focusing on tobacco use and lung cancer screening. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017 with 1,005 residents within a Philadelphia cancer center catchment area to identify the rate and correlates of smoking and rate of lung cancer screening. Results: The rate of current smoking in the catchment was 13%. Current smokers were more likely to have depression/ anxiety, less likely to be eating healthy, more likely to use e-cigarettes, and endorsed lower perceived health and higher cancer fatalism, vs. former (27%) or never smokers; 74% of smokers want to quit smoking, but two-thirds think nicotine dependence medications are unsafe and ineffective, which may be addressed with personalized treatment. E-cigarette use was 11% and lung screening rates were < 30%. Conclusions: These results indicate that addressing tobacco use in the cancer center's catchment may require targeting comorbid psychiatric conditions and additional cancer risk behaviors such as poor diet, modifying cancer beliefs that may undermine cessation, and utilizing novel methods to promote utilization of evidence-based treatment for smoking. E-cigarette use should be targeted, as well as identifying methods to promote lung screening. This study shows how a cancer center can identify catchment area needs to plan research that reduces the burden of cancer among their residents.