Tobacco Cessation at FDNY

October 15, 2026 updated by: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Preventing Lung Cancer Through Tobacco Cessation at FDNY

At the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) World Trade Center Health Program, 36% of participants in the low dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening program are current smokers, despite referral to the free FDNY Tobacco Cessation Program (Standard Care). Investigators propose testing an Enhanced Care program which includes opt-out enrollment; tobacco cessation counseling will be individually tailored to spirometry/LDCT results and treatment with varenicline starting 4 weeks prior to their target quit date. This randomized trial will compare enrollment and cessation outcomes in Standard Care vs. Enhanced Care groups of challenging-to-treat, high-risk smokers.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The overarching goal of this Randomized Controlled trial is to develop and test an effective, scalable intervention with potential to reach high-risk smokers undergoing CT lung cancer screening who have not engaged in or succeeded with traditional tobacco treatment approaches. The investigators will test an Enhanced Care intervention specifically designed to address multiple challenges to tobacco treatment engagement and success. First, the researchers will test opt-out enrollment in cessation treatment. The current tobacco treatment default, in which patients must opt-in to cessation treatment and are only offered counseling and pharmacotherapy when deemed ready to quit, results in missed opportunities to engage smokers into treatment. Previous studies of opt-out enrollment in cessation treatment suggest that an opt-out tobacco treatment strategy substantially increases engagement and cessation rates compared with traditional opt-in approaches. Second, proactive counseling will leverage the "reachable, teachable moment" of CT screening to motivate cessation through individually tailored messaging tied to CT results and lung function spirometry. Using CT results as a motivational tool has shown promise in pilot studies. The optimal approach and success of using CT coupled with spirometry results to motivate tobacco cessation remains unknown. Third, investigators will offer varenicline pre-loading to all enrollees, regardless of study arm, in which varenicline is initiated 4 weeks prior to target quit date. This approach is associated with decreased pre-quit tobacco-associated reward and double the rate of abstinence compared with standard varenicline treatment.

The investigators thus propose a randomized trial among retired FDNY World Trade Center Health Program responders eligible for the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program CT screening program to test the effects of Enhanced Care (opt-out enrollment, tailored counseling based on CT and spirometry results, and varenicline with preloading) against Standard Care (opt-in enrollment, standard cessation counseling without spirometry/CT tailoring, and varenicline with preloading) in the engagement of high-risk smokers in cessation treatment and the achievement of tobacco abstinence.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
23

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • Brooklyn, New York, United States, 11201
        • FDNY World Trade Center Health Program

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • Enrolled in FDNY World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP)
  • Retired
  • Age ≥ 50 years old
  • Self-reported current smoker on most recent questionnaire OR self-reported current smoker in the past 5 years
  • 20 pack-year smoker OR 20-year smoking duration

Exclusion Criteria

  • Reduced renal function
  • estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <30 [CKD-EPI Creatinine Equation (2021)] at last World Trade Center (WTC) medical monitoring blood exam OR ICD10 codes for kidney disease: N04.9, N17.9, N18.9, Z94.0, E13.21, N18.9, I12.9, N00.9, N03.9
  • Undergoing active cancer treatment, defined as being diagnosed on 1/1/2022 or later
  • Clinical instability (e.g., hospitalization in last 3 months)
  • Using varenicline in last 30 days
  • Endorsing suicidal ideations: moderate or high risk on Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
  • Screened for alcohol use disorder AUDIT>15

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Enhanced Care

Opt-out counseling enrollment. individually-tailored biofeedback linked to Chest CT and spirometry results.

Varenicline: Preloading regimen (prior to target quit date): 0.5 mg once a day for days 1-3, 0.5 mg twice a day for days 4-7, and 1 mg twice a day for days 8-28.

1 mg twice day for 12 weeks after target quit date.
Other: opt out enrollment, tailored counseling, varenicline started prior to target quit date

Participants automatically enrolled in motivational counseling. Tailored counseling includes sharing results of Chest CT results and lung function spirometry tests with participants.
Active Comparator: Standard Care

Opt-in counseling enrollment. Standard tobacco cessation counseling.

Varenicline: Preloading regimen (prior to target quit date): 0.5 mg once a day for days 1-3, 0.5 mg twice a day for days 4-7, and 1 mg twice a day for days 8-28.

1 mg twice day for 12 weeks after target quit date.
Other: opt in enrollment, non-tailored counseling, varenicline started prior to target quit date

Participants must opt-in to receive counseling. Counseling does not include discussion of Chest CT or spirometry results.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Enrollment
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0)

Enrollment is defined as all participants who completed at least one session with our tobacco treatment specialist in FDNY's Tobacco Cessation Program: Standard vs. Enhanced Care arms. The number of participants who attend at least one study visit with the tobacco treatment specialist from the eligible recruitment population will be tabulated and reported.
Baseline (Week 0)
Number of Participants With (Biochemically Validated) Tobacco Abstinence
Time Frame: Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 along with a 12-week post end of treatment (EOT) timepoint visit at 28 weeks

7-day point prevalence abstinence will be biochemically verified by the analysis of urine samples collected at a laboratory nearest each participant's residence. Urine sample collection will occur at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 along with a 12-week post end of treatment (EOT) timepoint at 28 weeks. Samples will be analyzed for urine cotinine which is the commonly measured biomarker of nicotine intake. Urine cotinine levels < 20 ng/mL will be used to verify tobacco abstinence. Data will be summarized at each timepoint by study arm from weeks 2 - weeks 28 using basic descriptive statistics at each research assessment visit.
Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 along with a 12-week post end of treatment (EOT) timepoint visit at 28 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Retention to Study End-Date
Time Frame: Through the 12-week post EOT timepoint at 28 weeks

Retention will be assessed and reported as the number of participants retained in the study through the time of the 12-week post end of treatment (EOT) timepoint at 28 weeks.
Through the 12-week post EOT timepoint at 28 weeks
Number of Participants Who Attended Counseling Visit at Each Timepoint - Counseling Adherence
Time Frame: Baseline, Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, and the 12-week post EOT timepoint visit at 28 weeks

Counseling adherence will be determined by the number of counseling visits attended. Tobacco counseling sessions will occur at baseline, and at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 along with a 12-week post end of treatment (EOT) timepoint at 28 weeks. Counseling adherence will be summarized by study arm based on attendance during each individual session (timepoint) and reported as a continuous variable for each timepoint (counseling visit).
Baseline, Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, and the 12-week post EOT timepoint visit at 28 weeks
Pill Count Percentage - Varenicline Adherence
Time Frame: Baseline, Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16

Varenicline adherence will be measured using pill count percentage, recorded as the number of pills taken divided by the number of pills prescribed, per participant, corresponding to the dosing regimen. Varenicline adherence data will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics for each week of treatment. Participants refusing medication will be counted as zero. Participants discontinuing medication due to reported side effects or adverse events will be excluded from calculation totals. Medication adherence rates in excess of 100% (e.g., subjects mistakenly took extra pills) will be reported as 100% adherence. Similarly, medication adherence rates below zero (e.g., subjects added pills to the bottle but did not remove any pills) will be reported as 0% adherence. Pill count adherence is an objective measure that has been shown to correlate with electronic monitors and varenicline plasma levels.
Baseline, Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH/CDC)
FDNY World Trade Center Health Program

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Shadi Nahvi, MD, MS, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • Principal Investigator: David Goldfarb, PhD, FDNY

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 31, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 13, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 13, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 10, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 10, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 18, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 15, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2023-14980
  • R21OH012256 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 2023 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available, but a deidentified dataset may be available from the principal investigator upon reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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