Patients With High Lung Cancer Risk Successfully Quit Smoking Using Vaping

A recent systematic review, published in the Archives of Public Health under the title “Effectiveness of smoking cessation on the high-risk population of lung cancer with early screening: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials until January 2022,” explores the effectiveness of various smoking cessation methods, particularly for individuals at high risk of lung cancer. You can refer to the page here.

Study Overview

Lung cancer remains closely associated with smoking, and this review aimed to assess different methods of quitting and their safety. The study gathered and analyzed data from multiple sources, including PubMed, Science Direct, Embase, and Web of Science, focusing on the short-term success of smoking cessation and the potential for maintaining that success.

Key Findings

The study, which involved 998 participants aged 57-63 from several countries such as the USA, Italy, Canada, Australia, and the UK, revealed that e-cigarettes were 1.51 times more effective at helping participants quit smoking compared to other interventions.

Conclusion

Participants who underwent Low-Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) screening, a lung scan commonly used to detect lung cancer, showed improved awareness of smoking’s risks. Researchers believe that this awareness contributes to the cessation process. The study primarily focused on behavioral/psychological interventions and the use of e-cigarettes (pharmacological methods) to assist in quitting.

The study concluded that e-cigarettes appear effective in helping high-risk individuals quit smoking in the short term, though potential respiratory side effects like coughing, nausea, and shortness of breath were noted. Researchers recommend that clinical decisions be made with caution, taking both the benefits and risks into account. As the study only followed participants for six months, more research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of vaping as a smoking cessation tool.

Overall, the findings show promising results for replacing smoking with vaping, despite the potential side effects, which may also occur in individuals quitting smoking by other methods.