Smoking Cessation and Pain Management Intervention plus Varenicline for Cancer Patients who Smoke and Have Pain, Project HOPES
This phase IV trial studies how well a smoking cessation and pain management behavioral intervention works for cancer patients who smoke and have pain. More than half of cancer survivors who are current smokers at their diagnosis continue smoking or resume after an initial quit attempt. As many as 70% also suffer from pain and/or psychosocial problems. Some cancer survivors hold beliefs that smoking reduces pain and alleviates distress. However, continued smoking after a cancer diagnosis is associated with worse pain, poor quality of life, increased risk of cancer return, and worsening of current conditions. Behavioral interventions use techniques to help patients change the way they react to environmental triggers that may cause a negative reaction. Varenicline (Chantix) is a drug that is used to help people stop smoking by acting the same way nicotine acts in the brain. Varenicline also acts on receptors that may potentially block pain. Giving a combination of a smoking cessation and pain management behavioral intervention plus varenicline may be effective in reducing pain for cancer patients and in helping them stop smoking.