Supporting young cancer survivors who smoke (The PRISM Study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Formative research to inform the development of a smoking cessation intervention for childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors
IRAS ID
310907
Contact name
Linda Sharp
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Newcastle Joint Research Office
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 30 days
Research summary
Each year in the UK approximately 4000 young people aged under 25 are diagnosed with cancer. Improvements in treatment mean that 80% of them will be cured of their cancer. However, some cancer treatments can cause harm to their lungs or heart, leaving them vulnerable to problems in later life. The chance that these childhood, adolescent and young adult (CAYA) cancer survivors will have problems in later life is increased if they smoke tobacco; CAYA survivors who smoke have much higher risks than the general population of having another cancer in later life and of developing, or dying from, a lung or heart problem.
Despite this, many CAYA survivors smoke tobacco. Our pilot work found that 15% smoke; and many had tried, unsuccessfully, to quit. Guidelines for healthcare professionals state that CAYA survivors should be advised about smoking and how to stop. However, cancer doctors and nurses don’t always do this and often feel that they are not right person to provide this advice and support. In addition, although smoking cessation has been very successful in the general population, the strategies used to help people quit don’t work well in cancer survivors. This is probably because we do not fully understand why CAYA survivors smoke, or what helps or hinders them to quit.
We will interview up to 30 CAYA survivors who are either current smokers or recent ex-smokers. We will explore: how they think about their health; why they smoke(d); what helped (or would help) them quit; and their views and experiences of smoking cessation advice and services.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/WM/0102
Date of REC Opinion
19 May 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion