Effect of Lung Cancer Diagnoses on Family Behaviors
Condition: Lung Cancer; Blood Relatives of Patient w/Lung Cancer; Cigarette Smokers
MeSH terms: Lung Neoplasms
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Background:

      - A health event can be a powerful motivator for abrupt behavior changes. For instance, many
      people who smoke stop after having a heart attack or being diagnosed with cancer. A relative
      s health event may have a similar effect. For instance, smokers may try to quit after
      learning that a parent or sibling has lung cancer. Researchers want to study relatives of
      people with lung cancer to see how the relative s diagnosis affects a person s willingness to
      quit smoking or have genetic testing.

      Objectives:

      - To study the impact of a relative s lung cancer diagnosis on a person s approach to genetic
      testing and smoking cessation services.

      Eligibility:

      - Current smokers between 18 and 55 years of age who are close blood relatives of people
      being treated for lung cancer.

      Design:

        -  Participants will be recruited through telephone surveys. Participants will log on to a
           password-protected website. The site has two educational sessions and three surveys to
           complete.

        -  Participants will also be offered free genetic testing. The test will see whether they
           have a gene that can reduce the effectiveness of some cancer treatment drugs. Those who
           agree to the test will collect a cheek swab sample at home and send the sample in for
           testing. They will receive the test results through the website.

        -  The surveys will ask about risk perceptions and emotional responses to the relative s
           diagnosis. They will also ask about smoking history, motivation to quit, and reactions
           to information about smoking and genetic risk.

        -  All participants will be able to receive free smoking cessation services.

        -  Six months after completing the surveys, participants will have a follow-up phone call.
           The call will ask whether participants used the smoking cessation services.
    

Detailed description: 
      The overarching objective of this observational prospective Family Risk & Lung Cancer Study
      is to evaluate the impact of a loved one s lung cancer diagnosis on relative s seeking and
      processing of information related to risks of smoking, genetic susceptibility, and their
      receptivity to smoking cessation services. We plan to recruit 150 relatives of lung cancer
      patients who are receiving care at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in
      Tampa, Florida. First- or second-degree blood relatives who are current smokers between the
      ages 18 to 55 will be eligible for the study. Because these relatives will be living
      throughout the United States, a web-based research protocol will be employed. A nurse
      recruiter will approach patients at Moffitt and assess their willingness to do a telephone
      survey to enumerate their relatives who smoke and be asked to give permission to contact
      none, some or all of these relatives. These survey contacts with patients and contacts with
      relatives for screening and recruitment will be conducted in partnership with an ongoing
      recruitment activities for a five-year, NCI-funded randomized controlled intervention trial
      (RCT) at Duke University Medical Center (Quit Smoking Program for Lung Cancer Patient s
      Families or Family Ties ; Duke IRB# 4620, Bastian, PI). Relatives who agree to participate
      will be asked to log on to a password protected website and view two online educational
      sessions and complete three online surveys. As part of the educational session, participants
      will be offered free genetic susceptibility testing for glutathione S transferase (GSTM1).
      Participants who accept testing will receive their result online. Participants who decline
      testing will be retained in the study and offered all the same smoking cessation services
      provided to those who accept testing. Participants will be sent instructions to collect their
      own buccal samples and postage-paid mailing envelopes to return the sample to a CLIA-approved
      laboratory at Duke. Survey assessments will include questions about risk perceptions, beliefs
      and attitudes related to lung cancer, emotional responses to the patient s diagnosis, smoking
      history, motivation to quit, reactions to information about smoking and genetic risk,
      interest in genetic testing, comprehension of susceptibility feedback, and interest in
      receiving smoking cessation services. The primary outcome variable will be seeking of free
      quit smoking services. Participating relatives will be surveyed by telephone via the Duke RCT
      infrastructure 6-months after completing the online protocol.
    

Time perspective: Prospective
Keywords: Lung Cancer; Smokers; Genetic Risk Communication; Smoking Cessation