Novel Treatment to Enhance Smoking Cessation Before Cancer Surgery

The investigators are proposing a developmental interdisciplinary pilot study to determine
the feasibility and efficacy of an intervention designed to increase rates of tobacco
abstinence for cancer patients before their cancer surgery. This study (a follow up to
smaller pilot studies) will serve as a means to further develop a treatment protocol and to
generate an accurate effect size for a full scale trial. The present study will constitute a
development clinical trial with a primary aim of developing an effect size for smoking
cessation at the time of surgery (7-day point prevalence abstinence), and a secondary aim of
creating an effect size for long-term abstinence at 3 months post-surgery.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. age 18 or older

2. smoking ≥ 1 cigarettes per day

3. CO > 6 ppm

4. diagnosed with or suspicion of any type of operable thoracic, head and neck, breast,
or gynecologic cancer

5. agreement on a 2-5-week pre-surgical tobacco intervention by both patient and surgeon,
and 6) residence within reasonable driving distance to New Haven.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. unstable psychiatric conditions such as suicidal ideation, acute psychosis, severe
alcohol dependence, or dementia

2. unstable medical conditions that have not been well controlled (e.g., acute infection
requiring hospitalization) for the past 30 days

3. pregnant or breastfeeding women

4. those with limited decision making capacity.