Supporting cancer patients to quit smoking post diagnosis

Research team

• Core research team: Professor Patricia Fitzpatrick (PI), Dr Nancy Bhardwaj, Dr Patricia Fox, Associate Professor Kate Frazer, Dr Ailsa Lyons (St Vincent's University Hospital), Professor Amanda McCann and Dr Nancy Bhardwaj.
• Associated UCD team members – assisted with analysis and/or write up of articles: Dr Mouayad Masalkhi, Dr Vikram Niranjan, Dr Shiraz Syed.
• Collaborators – facilitated patient and healthcare professional recruitment: Prof Sinead Brennan (St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network (SLRON)), Mr. James Geraghty (St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH)), Prof Michael Keane (SVUH), Associate Prof Cathy Kelly (Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH), Mater Private Hospital), Prof Donal Brennan (MMUH), Paula Briscoe, Aidin Roberts, Dr Paul Nevins Selvadurai (MMUH), Lisa Cadden, Santy Manoj (SVUH), and Fiona Gilbert (SLRON).
• Professor Cecily Kelleher (UCD).
• Patient panel – involved in questionnaire design, study guidance, authors on published abstracts/articles: Ms Marie Johnson, Mr Seamus Quinn, Mr John Wall.

Funding

• This research was funded by the Irish Cancer Society in 2019 (SCAFIT2019 €64,999) to start in January 2020. Due to COVID-19 this predominantly hospital-related research had to be suspended for several months and then restarted.

Published articles 

• Frazer K, Bhardwaj N, Fox P, Syed S, Lyons A, McCann A, Niranjan V, Kelly C, Brennan S, Brennan D, Geraghty J, Keane MP, Fitzpatrick P. A qualitative study to understand the barriers and facilitators in smoking cessation practices among oncology health care practitioners in one health system. Nicotine and Tobacco Research (in press 2024) https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae185 
• Fox P, Bhardwaj N, Lyons A, Frazer K, Syed S, McCann A, Brennan S, Brennan D, Kelly C, Keane M, Fitzpatrick P. Smoking Cessation Support: A Marathon, not a Sprint; The Perspectives of Cancer Patients who Smoke. Seminars in Oncology Nursing 2024;40:151584. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2024.151584 
• Lyons A, Bhardwaj N, Masalkhi M, Fox P, Frazer K, McCann A, Syed S, Niranjan V, Kelleher CC, Kavanagh P, Fitzpatrick P. Specialist Cancer Hospital-based Smoking Cessation Service Provision in Ireland. Irish Journal of Medical Science 2024 Apr;193(2):629-638. doi: 10.1007/s11845-023-03525-0. Epub 2023 Sep 23.PMID: 37740109 
• Fitzpatrick P, Bhardwaj N, Masalkhi M, Lyons A, Frazer K, McCann A, Syed S, Niranjan V, Kelleher CC, Brennan S, Kavanagh P, Fox P. Provision of smoking cessation support for patients following a diagnosis of cancer in Ireland. Preventive Medicine Reports 2023 Feb 20; 32:102158. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102158. eCollection 2023 Apr.PMID: 36875512 
• Frazer K, Bhardwaj N, Fox P, Stokes D, Niranjan V, Quinn S, Kelleher CC, Fitzpatrick P. A. Systematic Review of Smoking Cessation Interventions for Smokers Diagnosed with Cancer. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022, 19(24), 17010 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417010 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9779002/ 
• Fitzpatrick P, Bhardwaj N, Lyons A, Doherty K, Frazer K, McCann A, Niranjan V, Syed S, Fox P. Has the national fall in smoking rate in Ireland been replicated in cancer patients? a 5-year report. International Journal of Environmental Resarch Public Health. 2022 Feb 18;19(4):2348. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042348 PMID: 35206536; PMCID: PMC8874430 

Published abstracts 

• Frazer K, Bhardwaj N, Fox P, Niranjan V, Stokes D, Quinn S, Kelleher CC, Fitzpatrick P. A systematic review of smoking cessation interventions for smokers diagnosed with cancer. UK Public Health Science conference 2022. Lancet Volume 400 Special Issue 1 S39 Public Health Science 2022 Published Nov 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02249-8 
• Frazer K, Bhardwaj N, Fox P, Lyons A, Niranjan V, Syed S, McCann A, Quinn E, Quinn S, Wall J, Johnson M, Fitzpatrick P. Using a five-stage approach to embed Patient and Public Involvement in the co design of a smoking cessation pathway for people who smoke and have a diagnosis of cancer. European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Conference, Dublin, November 2023 European Journal of Public Health, Volume 33, Issue Supplement_2, October 2023, ckad160.1403, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.1403. 
• Fitzpatrick P, Bhardwaj N, Syed S, Fox P, Frazer K, Niranjan V, Lyons A, McCann A, Brennan S, Guerin S. Smoking cessation for cancer patients through the lens of cancer specialists: challenges & solutions. European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Conference, Berlin, November 2022. European Journal of Public Health, Volume 32, Issue Supplement_3, October 2022, ckac131.017, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckac131.017 

Podcast 

• Fox, P. (2023) Smoking Cessation in Patients with Cancer. [Podcast]. 25 May 2023. Available at:(opens in a new window)https://www.e-eso.net/sessions/3614.