Fox Chase Awarded Grant to Help Fund Expansion of Tobacco Treatment Program

Dr. Hossein Borghaei, professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology chief of Thoracic Medical Oncology and Dr. Linda Fleisher, co-leader for the initiative and associate research professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase.
Dr. Hossein Borghaei, professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology chief of Thoracic Medical Oncology and Dr. Linda Fleisher, co-leader for the initiative and associate research professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase.

PHILADELPHIA (April 7, 2021)—Fox Chase Cancer Center was recently awarded Tobacco Treatment Program Supplements from the National Cancer Institute to support the expansion of current services for patients who use tobacco. 

The supplement puts Fox Chase among other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers that are part of the Cancer Center Cessation Initiative. This competitive grant is a one-year award to support the goal of reaching all patients who use tobacco and support them in the process of quitting.

“There’s a lot of research showing the benefits of quitting tobacco, even with a cancer diagnosis, in terms of improved outcomes with chemotherapy and other treatments. Therefore, this is an important initiative to help patients quit smoking,” said Hossein Borghaei, DO, MS, a professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology and chief of Thoracic Medical Oncology.

He is working on the project with Linda Fleisher, PhD, MPH, co-leader for the initiative and associate research professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase.

The program includes input from nurse tobacco cessation specialists Donna Edmondson, MSN, CRNP, AOCNP, CTTS, and Kristen Kreamer, CRNP, MSN, AOCNP, APN, BC, Nurse TTP. A number of working groups and a steering committee have also been established.

“The grant is really about how we expand access to our program. We’re really building in systems to be able to proactively reach out to our patients who use tobacco and support them in that process,” said Fleisher.

As part of the initiative, working groups and a steering committee have established a tobacco registry to identify all patients who are currently smoking or recently quit using tobacco. The registry will provide important additional information about patients’ tobacco use and refer them to tobacco treatment program services. These services are expanded to include self-help materials, motivational interviewing for those not ready to quit, and referrals to established tobacco treatment clinics.

The Fox Chase team will then follow-up with these patients to evaluate the services and make improvements. These services will be provided in person, by telephone, and by video-based sessions.  

“Patients are dealing with so much with their diagnosis and their treatments. It’s important to provide them with other services that we offer that can help support them in this process,” said Fleisher.

More information about the Fox Chase Cancer Center Tobacco Treatment Program can be found here.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

For more information, call 888-369-2427