Monday, November 6, 2017 – Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) joins the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and the NYU School of Medicine (NYU) to announce the launch of the Cessation And Screening To Save Lives (CASTL) Initiative. The project, which is supported by funding from the National Cancer Institute, will examine how to best leverage lung cancer screening to promote smoking cessation among individuals at high-risk for lung cancer. CASTL will be co-led by Jamie Ostroff, PhD, Chief of the Behavioral Science Service at MSK and Donna Shelley, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Population Health and Medicine at NYU School of Medicine, in collaboration with LCA staff.

“Lung Cancer Alliance is thrilled to be working with Drs. Ostroff and Shelley on this important study,” said Jennifer C. King, PhD, Director of Science and Research, Lung Cancer Alliance. “The trial will involve tapping into the existing Lung Cancer Alliance Screening Centers of Excellence network to recruit the right patients that fit the study criteria. We believe this will provide critical evidence for how to best implement smoking cessation techniques into lung cancer screening programs.”

This effort will identify 18 low dose CT-lung cancer screening sites across the United States to serve as demonstration field sites. Approximately 1,152 current smokers will be enrolled in this clinical trial. Four tobacco treatment components will be tested separately and in combination: motivational interviewing; nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches; NRT lozenges; and message framing. The findings from the study will guide the dissemination and implementation of an optimized, cost-effective, acceptable, scalable and sustainable smoking cessation treatment protocol for lung cancer screening sites.

“Lung cancer screening provides an unprecedented opportunity to reach and engage smokers concerned about the health consequences of smoking. We are delighted to be partnering with Lung Cancer Alliance and screening sites that recognize that high quality lung cancer screening involves integration of best practices for smoking cessation treatment,” said Dr. Ostroff.

“This study will provide much needed data on the most effective strategies for treating tobacco use in the context of lung cancer screening,” said Dr. Shelley.

Site selection for this program is currently underway.

Click here for detailed information on the CASTL study.