School of Public Health News

Individuals with serious illnesses - including cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - make up a disproportionately high segment of current smokers and are also among the most addicted to tobacco use. Despite their strong addiction, more than one third of these individuals are likely to give up smoking and remain smoke-free for at least six months if they receive a combination of smoking cessation medications and are allowed to continue taking these medications for a longer period of time, researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) report.

In their study, the researchers randomly assigned 127 smokers with predefined medical conditions to one of two groups. The first group received nicotine patches for a standard 10-week treatment period. The second group received a combination of nicotine patches, nicotine inhalers and bupropion, an antidepressant medication commonly prescribed for treating tobacco dependence. After 26 weeks, 35 percent of those who received the combination therapy had quit smoking compared to just 19 percent of those who received the nicotine patch alone. The results of this study appear in the April 7 edition of Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Common sense would tell you to quit smoking if you have a serious disease, but more than half of smokers who are newly diagnosed with cancer continue to smoke,” said study author Dr. Michael Steinberg, of the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and medical director of the Tobacco Dependence Program at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health. “Our research illustrates how terribly addictive tobacco is, but that addiction can be overcome if treated appropriately.”

Click here to read the entire press release.

Press Release
Date: 04-07-09
Name: Jerry Carey
Phone: 856-566-6171
Email: careyge@umdnj.edu