Jamie Ostroff

• PhD
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Hispanic and Non-Hispanic (NH) Black adults, particularly men, disproportionately experience significant smoking-related health disparities, including cancer. Thus, identifying factors that explicate sex, racial, and ethnic differences in cigarette use is critical for developing tailored interventions to prevent smoking-related diseases among these...

Importance In Nigeria, 80% of breast cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, when clinical management is complex and necessitates multidisciplinary collaboration. The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health promotes multidisciplinary tumor board (MDT) discussions and endorses the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Sah...

Background Disparities in lung cancer outcomes persist among Black Americans, necessitating targeted interventions to address screening inequities. This paper reports the development and refinement of Witness Project® Lung, a community-based initiative tailored to the specific needs of the Black community, aiming to improve awareness and engagement...

Background Remote symptom monitoring (RSM) is an evidence‐based strategy shown to mitigate postoperative morbidity; however, platform engagement is required to benefit from RSM. Patients who report current smoking are at high risk for postoperative complications, but it is unknown whether smoking status influences engagement with RSM, symptom sever...

Background Stigma is a pervasive and distressing problem experienced frequently by lung cancer patients, and there is a lack of psychosocial interventions that target the reduction of lung cancer stigma. Mindful self-compassion (MSC) is an empirically supported intervention demonstrated to increase self-compassion and reduce feelings of shame and d...

Introduction Smoking cessation is important for men and women diagnosed with cancer. Oncology clinicians should encourage all patients to quit and offer resources to help them do so, following the 5As framework (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange follow-up). Method This study tests gender differences in self-reported receipt of the 5As by an...

PURPOSE The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) endorses National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Harmonized Guidelines for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for breast cancer (BC), which were developed with the African Cancer Coalition and resource adapted for SSA. The FMOH advocates for multidisciplinary tumor boards. This research aimed to bet...

Purpose Among patients with cancer, tobacco use remains high. Nearly half who report smoking at diagnosis continue to smoke following diagnosis, and use of smoking cessation medication remains low. This study explores attitudes, barriers, and preferences for smoking cessation medication among patients enrolled in a tobacco treatment trial in the co...

PURPOSE Persistent smoking after cancer diagnosis causes adverse outcomes while smoking cessation can improve survival. Thus, integration of smoking assessment and cessation assistance into routine cancer care is critical. Aiming for incremental practice change that could be sustained and built upon through future quality improvement (QI) projects,...

365 Background: HNC survivors often experience post-treatment pain. Given known disparities in pain management and opioid use in the non-cancer population, we explored sociodemographic predictors of opioid use in HNC survivors enrolled in the HN-STAR trial (NCT04208490, funding: American Cancer Society and UG1CA189824). Methods: Survivors of HNC (s...

376 Background: Persistent smoking among patients diagnosed with cancer is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, yet clinical guidelines for tobacco use interventions have not been integrated into community oncology settings. We conducted a trial of a virtual sustained tobacco treatment intervention across community oncology settings nationall...

Background Increased engagement with community-based practices is a promising strategy for increasing clinical trials access of diverse patient populations. In this study we assessed the ability to utilize a patient-advocacy organization led clinical network to engage diverse practices as field sites for clinical research. Methods GO2 for Lung Can...

Introduction In 2021, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) published the IASLC Language Guide as guidance on preferred language and phrasing in oral and written communications, including presentations at conferences. This study analyzed presentations from the 2022 IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) one year a...

Effective communication about cancer diagnosis and prognosis in sub-Saharan African oncology settings is often challenged by the cancer-related shame and stigma patients and families experience. Enhancing empathic communication between health care providers , including physicians and nurses, and oncology patients and their families can not only red...

11011 Background: Smoking by cancer patients and survivors causes adverse health outcomes, and quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis can improve survival. However, assistance with smoking cessation is not regularly provided to cancer patients. Reported are results of the national 2023 Beyond ASK quality improvement initiative to increase and su...

Importance For patients with nonspine bone metastases, short-course radiotherapy (RT) can reduce patient burden without sacrificing clinical benefit. However, there is great variation in uptake of short-course RT across practice settings. Objective To evaluate whether a set of 3 implementation strategies facilitates increased adoption of a consens...

This quality improvement study examines whether a universal screening and opt-out referral model could promote racial and ethnic equity in access and use of tobacco treatment among patients with cancer.

PURPOSE Persistent smoking is associated with poor outcomes in cancer care. It is strongly recommended that oncology care providers provide cessation support; however, there is limited information about smoking cessation assessment and treatment patterns in routine oncology practice. METHODS Leaders of the American College of Surgeons Commission o...

Background Tobacco-related disparities are a leading contributor to health inequities among marginalized communities. Lack of support from health professionals is one of the most cited barriers to tobacco cessation reported by these communities. Improving the proficiencies with which health professionals incorporate social and cultural influences i...

Background Tobacco use is associated with adverse outcomes among patients diagnosed with cancer. Socioeconomic determinants influence access and utilization of tobacco treatment; little is known about the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage (NSD) and tobacco assessment, assistance, and cessation among patients diagnosed wit...

Introduction Stigma thwarts progress in lung cancer risk reduction and control and adversely affects patients across the entire lung cancer care continuum. In developing and disseminating patient and public-facing interventions to increase lung screening, we must be cognizant of how communications have the potential for further stigmatization of at...

Building upon prior work developing and pilot testing a provider-focused Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) training intervention, this study sought feedback from key invested partners who work with individuals with lung cancer (i.e. stakeholders including scientific and clinical advisors and patient advocates) on the ECS training intervention. Th...

Internalized cancer stigma is high among cancer patients who smoke, but it is unknown whether the experience of stigma changes after quitting smoking postdiagnosis. Using data from an randomized controlled trial of tobacco treatment, we conducted a secondary data analysis and hypothesized that (a) cancer patients who quit smoking would report great...

Background: While cigarette smoking has declined among the US general population, sale and use of non-cigarette alternative tobacco products (ATPs; e.g., e-cigarettes, cigars) and dual use of cigarettes/ATPs are rising. Little is known about ATP use patterns in cancer survivors enrolled in clinical trials. We investigated prevalence of tobacco pro...

Objective: To assess urologists' perceptions and practices related to smoking and smoking cessation. Materials and methods: Six survey questions were designed to assess beliefs, practices, and determinants related to tobacco use assessment and treatment (TUAT) in outpatient urology clinics. These questions were included in an annual census surve...

TPS12152 Background: Stigma is commonly experienced by people diagnosed with lung cancer and is often triggered during clinical encounters with their oncology care provider (OCP), particularly associated with routine assessment of smoking history. Lung cancer stigma is associated with gaps in quality of care as well as poorer psychological and phys...

1522 Background: ASCO recommends that all individuals diagnosed with cancer who smoke receive tobacco treatment support. Oncology clinicians can use the 5As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist (e.g., talk about quitting and recommend medication), and Arrange follow-up) to provide this support. Previous studies that have typically assessed clinician-report...

6571 Background: Persistent smoking after cancer diagnosis causes adverse clinical outcomes. ASCO and other organizations view smoking assessment and treatment as indicators of high-quality cancer care. Yet, adoption of clinical practice guidelines like the 3As (Ask, Advise and Assist) for smoking assessment and treatment has been slow and inconsis...

Objectives: Less than 5% of eligible U.S. individuals undergo lung cancer screening (LCS). A significant barrier is lack of awareness; more effective outreach and education strategies are needed to achieve greater population LCS uptake. Tobacco Treatment Specialists (TTSs) are an untapped resource to assist and understanding TTS knowledge and pers...

Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening can reduce lung cancer mortality among high-risk individuals, but uptake of lung screening remains low. Social media platforms have the pote...

Background The Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Moonshot Program that supports NCI-designated cancer centers developing tobacco treatment programs for oncology patients who smoke. C3I-funded centers implement evidence-based programs that offer various smoking cessation treatment components (e.g.,...

Background. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening can reduce lung cancer mortality among high-risk individuals, but uptake of lung screening remains low. Social media platforms have the po...

Introduction: Smoking after a cancer diagnosis represents a modifiable health risk. It is recommended that oncology clinicians address tobacco use among their patients using the 5As brief model: Asking about use, Advising users to quit, Assessing willingness to quit, Assisting in quit attempts (counseling and medication), and Arranging follow-up....

PURPOSE Quitting smoking improves patients' clinical outcomes, yet smoking is not commonly addressed as part of cancer care. The Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) supports National Cancer Institute–designated cancer centers to integrate tobacco treatment programs (TTPs) into routine cancer care. C3I centers vary in size, implementation strat...

PURPOSE More than half of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) smoke, contributing to premature cancer mortality. A cancer diagnosis provides an opportunity to assist with smoking cessation; however, supportive oncology trials frequently exclude patients with SMI. To fill this gap, we examined differences in engagement and tobacco cessatio...

Objectives: To examine whether aspects of disease-specific stigma are barriers to advocacy among individuals with lung cancer. Sample & setting: 266 patients with lung cancer treated at two National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Methods & variables: Patients completed a cross-sectional survey. D...

Background: Lung cancer screening has the potential to identify lung cancer at an early stage when more treatment options exist. However, discussions with and referrals of screening-eligible patients remain unacceptably low. We need to better understand clinician knowledge, attitudes, and practice patterns to identify strategies to improve lung ca...

Based on the findings from the National Lung Screening Trial, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual low dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening (LCS) among high-risk adults. Approximately 54% of individuals seeking LCS report current cigarette smoking. Effective smoking cessation interventions, offered at the time...

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the translation and psychometric testing of the Lung Cancer Screening Health Belief Scale (LCSHBS) into Spanish. Methods: The English version of the LCSHBS was professionally translated in accordance with best practices in the translation of patient-reported outcome tools. The independent certifie...

Background There is widespread agreement that the integration of cessation services in lung cancer screening (LCS) is essential for achieving the full benefits of LCS with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). There is a formidable knowledge gap about how to best design feasible, effective, and scalable cessation services in LCS facilities. A collec...

Background Persistent smoking among patients diagnosed with cancer is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, yet an evidence-based tobacco use intervention has not been well-integrated into cancer care in community oncology settings. This paper describes the protocol of a nation-wide clinical trial conducted by the ECOG-ACRIN National Cancer In...

Importance: Guidelines recommend cancer care clinicians offer smoking cessation treatment. Cost analyses will help stakeholders understand and plan for implementation of cessation programs. Objective: To estimate the incremental cost per quit (ICQ) of adopting an intensive smoking cessation intervention among patients undergoing treatment at can...

Introduction The NCI Smoking Cessation at Lung Examination (SCALE) Collaboration includes eight clinical trials testing smoking cessation interventions delivered with lung cancer screening (LCS). This investigation compared pooled participant baseline demographic and smoking characteristics of seven SCALE trials to LCS-eligible smokers in three US...

6514 Background: Tobacco use is a modifiable risk factor for adverse outcomes among patients diagnosed with cancer. Despite ASCO’s recommendation for assessment and treatment of tobacco use, integration into cancer care is suboptimal. Socioeconomic contexts influence access and utilization of tobacco treatment, but little is known about the relatio...

Purpose Little is known about non-tobacco substance use (SU) and its treatment in cancer patients. National guidelines address tobacco only, and assessment of SU in cancer patients is not standardized. It is not clear how oncology clinicians assess, document, and follow-up on SU. Methods We conducted an electronic health record review of patients...

Background This intensive longitudinal study describes key events in the process of smoking cessation after a new head and neck cancer (HNC) diagnosis. Prior longitudinal studies show some cancer patients quit while others continue to smoke, but details about the pattern in which these discrete outcomes arise is scarce. This study is meant to help...

Introduction: To eliminate tobacco-related disparities, tobacco control research would benefit from a paradigm shift. Intersectionality, a framework pioneered by Kimberlé Crenshaw in late 1980s, has the potential to improve our understanding of why and how certain social groups are disproportionately harmed by commercial tobacco use, and improve o...

There are evidence-based treatments for tobacco dependence, but inequities exist in the access to and reach of these treatments. Traditional models of tobacco treatment delivery are “reactive” and typically provide treatment only to patients who are highly motivated to quit and seek out tobacco treatment. Newer models involve “proactive” outreach,...

Objective To characterize lung cancer patients' reactions to cancer care providers' (CCPs) assessment of smoking behavior and to develop recommendations to reduce stigma and improve patient-clinician communication about smoking in the context of lung cancer care. Methods Semi-structured interviews with 56 lung cancer patients (Study 1) and focus g...

BACKGROUND A cancer diagnosis can catalyze motivation to quit smoking. Tobacco treatment trials (TTTs) offer evidence-based cessation resources but suffer from low accrual rates. Digital outreach through clinician-delivered videos may improve recruitment efforts. However, understanding of how best to frame trial information and promote participatio...

Background: A cancer diagnosis can catalyze motivation to quit smoking. Tobacco treatment trials offer cessation resources but have low accrual rates. Digital outreach may improve accrual, but knowledge of how best to recruit smokers with recent diagnoses is limited. Objective: This study aims to identify the message frames that were most effect...

Objective: Few psychosocial interventions have been tailored to meet the unique needs of patients diagnosed with lung cancer. This pilot study developed and tested a six-week intervention for reducing lung cancer stigma.Design and Subjects: Guided by qualitative interviews conducted with 9 lung cancer patients and 5 thoracic oncology care providers...

Introduction: Many cancer patients who smoke report concurrent e-cigarette use. Using a mixed-methods approach, we aimed to (1) describe longitudinal e-cigarette use over 6 months after a cancer diagnosis and (2) assess the association between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation, among cancer patients in a smoking cessation trial. Methods: Dat...

Purpose: Determine the association between biochemically verified post-diagnosis smoking exposure and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) recurrence risk. Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective study of 354 NMIBC patients with a smoking history undergoing care between 2015 and 2018. Patients contributed at least two biospecimen...

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Purpose Cancer patients who smoke may experience significant stigma due both to their disease, and negative attitudes and beliefs regarding smoking. We investigated whether internalized stigma differed between currently smoking cancer patients diagnosed with lung or head and neck cancers, other smoking related cancers, and non smoking-related cance...

Background There is widespread agreement that integration of cessation services in lung cancer screening (LCS) is essential for achieving the full benefits of LCS with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). There is a formidable knowledge gap about how to best design feasible, effective and scalable cessation services in LCS facilities. A collective...

The NCI’s Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) has a specific objective of helping cancer centers develop and implement sustainable programs to routinely address tobacco cessation with patients. Sustaining tobacco treatment programs requires the maintenance of (1) core program components, (2) ongoing implementation strategies, and (3) program o...

Despite remarkable progress, tobacco control efforts are not equitably distributed, and tobacco-related disparities continue to contribute to significant health disparities. Our premise in this commentary is that Intersectionality can serve as a productive analytical framework for examining tobacco-related disparities across and within multiple mar...

Introduction: Adoption of rigorous standards for reporting treatment fidelity is essential for advancing discovery, validation, and implementation of behavioral treatments. Whereas the NIH Behavior Change Consortium (BCC) developed an assessment tool to assess quality of reporting and monitoring of treatment fidelity across health behavior change...

Significance: Increased rates of smoking cessation will be essential to maximize the population benefit of low-dose CT screening for lung cancer. The NCI's Smoking Cessation at Lung Examination (SCALE) Collaboration includes eight randomized trials, each assessing evidence-based interventions among smokers undergoing lung cancer screening (LCS). W...

Introduction Cancer patients who smoke report more stress and psychological distress than patients who do not smoke. It is unclear how these emotional symptoms may modify smoking behavior in cancer patients. We examined the influence of a smoking cessation intervention for cancer patients on stress and distress, and the effects of these symptoms on...

BACKGROUND Clinical practice guidelines for promoting smoking cessation in cancer care exist; however, most oncology settings have not established tobacco use assessment and treatment as standard care. Inadequate staff training and other implementation challenges have been identified as barriers for delivery of evidence‐based tobacco treatment. Pro...

Aims Among people with cancer, dual alcohol and tobacco use increases risk for morbidity and mortality. Most smoking cessation clinical trials with this patient population have excluded individuals with problematic alcohol use. This investigation examined whether problematic alcohol use affects smoking cessation in cancer patients. Methods Mixed-m...

Psycho-Oncology, 4th edition, follows the publication of Psycho-Oncology, 3rd edition in 2015. This is the latest in the series of textbooks which have defined the field of psycho-oncology. William Breitbart, MD, serves as the new senior editor along with associate editors Phyllis N. Butow, PhD, MPH, of the University of Sydney; Paul B. Jacobsen, P...

The last decade has shown significant progress in the fight against lung cancer, including advances in effective tobacco control, screening, targeted treatments, immunotherapies, and supportive care. At the same time, increased attention has highlighted the challenges faced by patients with lung cancer and their families, most notably the stigma as...

Purpose: Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for developing non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and continued smoking exposure after diagnosis may increase the likelihood of adverse clinical outcomes. Here we compare self-reported vs. biochemically-verified nicotine exposure to determine the accuracy of self-report among recently diagnosed N...

Background Despite the clinical importance of assessing smoking history and advising patients who smoke to quit, lung cancer patients often experience feelings of blame and stigma during clinical encounters with their oncology care providers (OCPs). Promoting empathic communication during these encounters may help reduce patients’ experience of sti...

History has shown that we must adapt and learn from crises so that we can improve how we deliver care and conduct research to improve clinical outcomes. The COVID‐19 pandemic has expedited work regarding virtual research methods and serves as an opportunity to evaluate how to initiate, implement, and sustain cancer prevention, early detection, and...

Importance Persistent smoking may cause adverse outcomes among patients with cancer. Many cancer centers have not fully implemented evidence-based tobacco treatment into routine care. Objective To determine the effectiveness of sustained telephone counseling and medication (intensive treatment) compared with shorter-term telephone counseling and m...

Accurate classification of smoking status has long been regarded as an essential prerequisite for advancing tobacco-related epidemiologic, treatment, and policy research. However, the descriptors we commonly use to classify people who smoke may inadvertently perpetuate harmful, stigmatizing beliefs and negative stereotypes. In recognizing the power...

Objective Empathic communication in clinical consultations is mutually constructed, with patients first presenting empathic opportunities (statements communicating emotions, challenges, or progress) to which clinicians can respond. We hypothesized that lung cancer patients who did not present empathic opportunities during routine consultations woul...

Most lung cancer patients report perceiving stigma surrounding their diagnosis, and routine clinical interactions with their health care providers (HCPs) are reported as a common source. The adverse effects of lung cancer stigma are associated with several adverse psychosocial and behavioral outcomes. One potential clinician-level intervention targ...

Purpose: The current study investigated whether dispositional tendencies to experience shame and guilt (i.e., shame- and guilt- proneness) were associated with higher levels of internalized stigma and, in turn, higher depressive symptoms and anxiety in adults with lung cancer. Method: Participants (N = 50, 56.0% female) were men and women who re...

Background Lung cancer patients commonly report stigma, often attributing it to the well-established association of smoking as the leading preventable cause. Theory and research suggest that patients’ smoking history may differentiate patients’ experience of lung cancer stigma. However, there is inconsistent evidence whether lung cancer stigma vari...

Risk perception is an important construct in many health behavior theories. Smoking risk perceptions are thoughts and feelings about the harms associated with cigarette smoking. Wide variation in the terminology, definition, and assessment of this construct makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the associations of risk perceptions with smoki...

Despite the importance of empathic communication in cancer patient outcomes, the majority of opportunities to respond empathically to a patient’s concern within clinical consultations are “missed” (i.e., 70-90%), or not responded to by physicians. The present study examined the empathic opportunities and responses within clinical consultations of l...

Background: The prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and its impact on smoking cessation among cancer survivors in the United States is largely unknown. We sought to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use and examine its associations with cigarette smoking and smoking quit attempts among smoking-related cancer survivors in the...

Objectives: Head and neck cancer (HNC) constitutes a substantial portion of the cancer burden worldwide, with over 550,000 new cases and over 300,000 deaths annually, with disproportionately high mortality rates in the developing countries. The large majority of HNCs are caused by tobacco use, and synergistic effects of tobacco and alcohol use. Usi...

Background: Many tobacco dependent cancer survivors continue to smoke after diagnosis and treatment. This study investigated the extent to which hospital-based cancer registries could be used to identify smokers in order to offer them assistance in quitting. The concordance of tobacco use coded in the registry was compared with tobacco use as code...

One third of smokers diagnosed with cancer continue smoking, perhaps due to low perceived cancer–related benefits of cessation. To examine perceived cancer–related benefits of quitting among newly diagnosed cancer patients who smoke and associations with quit intentions, baseline measures from patients (N = 303) enrolled in a randomized controlled...

Objectives: Historically, long-term survival following diagnosis of lung cancer has been a rare occurrence. An overall poor prognosis and the low likelihood of long-term survival are thought to precipitate survivors experiencing what is referred to as survivor guilt. This study explored the prevalence and nature of survivor guilt among lung cancer...

Many patients with cancer use electronic cigarettes (e‐cigarettes), yet little is known about patterns and reasons for use. Using cross‐sectional baseline data from a randomized controlled trial, we aimed to describe prevalence and correlates of e‐cigarette use, frequency of use, and reasons for use among smokers recently diagnosed with cancer. Par...

Background: The prevalence of e-cigarette use, and its impact on smoking cessation, among cancer survivors in the United States is unknown. We sought to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use, and examine its associations with cigarette smoking and quit attempts among survivors of smoking-related cancer survivors in the United States. Methods:...

Background Although smoking cessation apps have become popular, few have been tested in randomized clinical trials or undergone formative evaluation with target users. Objective We developed a cessation app targeting tobacco-dependent cancer patients. Game design and behavioral rehearsal principles were incorporated to help smokers identify, model,...

BACKGROUND Although smoking cessation apps have become popular, few have been tested in randomized clinical trials or undergone formative evaluation with target users. OBJECTIVE We developed a cessation app targeting tobacco-dependent cancer patients. Game design and behavioral rehearsal principles were incorporated to help smokers identify, model...

Objectives: We describe the unique selling propositions (USPs) (propositions used to convince customers to use a particular brand/product by focusing on the unique benefit) of print tobacco ads. Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted of print tobacco ads (N = 171) selected from August 2012 to August 2013 for cigarettes, moist snuf...

Background A healthy lifestyle is associated with improved quality of life among cancer survivors, yet adherence to health behavior recommendations is low. Objective This pilot trial developed and tested the feasibility of a tailored eHealth program to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity among older, long-term cancer sur...

Overview Certain health behaviors increase the risk of being diagnosed with cancer. It has been estimated that 35% of cancer deaths throughout the world could be avoided through adoption of health promoting behaviors. This chapter summarizes research on the effects of behavioral risk factors on cancer incidence and behavioral interventions for canc...