Abstract Introduction Continued smoking following a cancer diagnosis contributes to poorer treatment outcomes and lower survival rates. However, fewer than half of patients who smoke receive tobacco dependence treatment (TDT). To address the TDT barriers, an opt‐out clinical program in a racially and socioeconomically diverse oncology patient population was implemented. As part of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Center Cessation Initiative, the feasibility and impact of improved TDT access and use was assessed. Methods Medical assistants (MAs) assessed tobacco/nicotine use at each outpatient visit at health system–based hematology/oncology clinics. Of those eligible and interested, program reach, enrollment, treatment engagement, and abstinence was assessed by race and socioeconomic deprivation tertiles. TDT included evidence‐based behavioral coaching by phone and pharmacotherapy. Results Of 32,627 unique outpatients (April 2018–September 2024), MAs screened 28,815 (88%) for tobacco/nicotine use and 2150 (7.5%) reported use in .30). Conclusions These findings demonstrate the feasibility and impact of a robust approach to reach, engagement, and abstinence among racially and socioeconomically diverse patients with cancer, and the potential for improving disease‐related survival among the most vulnerable patients.
Taylor et al. (Fri,) studied this question.