Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, researchers and oncologists in Scotland team up to research benefits of e–cigarettes for lung cancer patients
Smoking in the UK
In the UK, approximately 10 million adults smoke cigarettes. Many of these people want to quit and are actively trying to stop. An increasing number are turning to e-cigarettes as an alternative.
While a cancer diagnosis often motivates people to quit smoking, a recent audit by the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre found that two out of three lung cancer patients receiving curative radiotherapy or combination chemoradiotherapy continued to smoke during treatment.
The Role of E-Cigarettes
Research for Public Health England suggests that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than tobacco and can help smokers quit. However, some experts, including the British Medical Association, caution that the benefits and harms are not yet fully understood because e-cigarettes remain relatively new. This makes further research essential.
It is vitally important to understand the role e-cigarettes can play in improving the lives of people living with lung cancer.
A Patient Perspective
This research matters for patients like Tom, a lung cancer survivor from Glasgow, who said, “As a smoker at one time and ultimately being diagnosed with lung cancer, I can understand the difficulties some people have in trying to stop smoking. This study hopes to show that using e-cigarettes instead of tobacco can improve the benefits of treatments, leading to better outcomes for lung cancer patients.”
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s Commitment
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation are committed to researching the role that e- cigarettes can play in helping more people who continue to smoke, even after a lung cancer diagnosis. To advance this work, the charity has teamed up with Professor Linda Bauld and her research team at the University of Stirling, along with Dr Stephen Harrow, a consultant clinical oncologist at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.
The Research Background
Dr Harrow explained the background to the research: “Few lung cancer patients who are current smokers at the time of diagnosis are able to give up prior to starting, or even during their treatment for various reasons. There is emerging evidence that continuing to smoke tobacco during treatment could compromise treatment outcomes, recovery and quality of life. E-cigarettes may be an alternative option for those patients and have a positive impact on their cancer care.”
Professor Bauld added: “Patients diagnosed with lung cancer who continue to smoke may have tried to stop smoking many times in the past, including with established smoking cessation aids, but failed. Electronic cigarettes, while not currently licensed as medicines, may provide a more attractive alternative to these patients and help with stopping smoking during treatment. This study will explore how acceptable, feasible and useful they are for lung cancer patients. We would like to thank Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, patients, our researches and all involved in this important ground breaking research. We hope that it will lead to some vitally important findings to help those living with lung cancer.”
Dr Jesme Fox, Medical Director at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, commented: “The Foundation is delighted to be funding this trial and we eagerly await the findings from Professor Bauld and Dr Harrow. We need to understand more about the role that e-cigarettes can play for those living with lung cancer and this trial will do just that. We wish the team the best of luck at the start of this ground breaking research project.”
If you are interested in learning more about the study please contact Lesley Sinclair, the project manager on: L.A.Sinclair@stir.ac.uk
References
1. Smoking statistics, Action on Smoking and Health February, 2016
2. Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Clinical Audit Date 2015
Editorial Notes
What are e-cigarettes?
Most e-cigarettes contain a battery, an atomiser, and a replaceable cartridge. The cartridge contains nicotine in a solution of either propylene glycol or glycerine and water, sometimes with flavourings. When a user inhales, a sensor detects airflow and heats the liquid to produce water vapour. Inhaling this vapour delivers nicotine straight to the lungs.
Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not contain many of the harmful chemicals that increase the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. They are now the most popular quitting aid in the UK, and growing evidence shows they can help people quit smoking.
While researchers lack long-term safety data, experts agree that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking. When used correctly, they pose no risk of nicotine poisoning. E-cigarettes release negligible nicotine into the environment and do not appear to harm bystanders.
They provide a low-cost, effective intervention that complements existing tobacco control measures and could reduce smoking rates in the UK. Stop smoking services should actively support smokers using e-cigarettes, offering both behavioural support and licensed stop smoking medications. From later in 2016, some e-cigarettes will be regulated as medical products and could become available on NHS prescription.