Screening for Nicotine Dependence among Smoking‐related Cancer Patients

To identify lung and head‐and‐neck cancer patients who will have difficulty stopping smoking it is necessary to measure the severity of their nicotine dependence. In this study, we compiled a Japanese version of the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and examined its reliability and validity. One hundred and fifty‐one cancer patients participated in this study and took our Japanese version of the FTND. Socio‐demographic and medical data and information about smoking habits were obtained from a semi‐structured interview, and the patients' nicotine dependence was evaluated according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Ed., Rev. (DSM–III–R). The mean FTND scores±SD of the group with nicotine dependence and the group without nicotine dependence were 6.85±2.00 and 3.70±2.13 respectively, and the difference was significant (P < 0.001, Mann‐Whitney's U‐test). The test‐retest correlation was 0.75. Cronbach's a of the FTND was 0.66. The FTND score correlated significantly with the number of satisfied criteria of nicotine dependence (r=0.70; P <0.001, Pearson's correlation). By using a receiver‐operating‐characteristic curve, we determined a score of 5/6 as a suitable cut‐off point for nicotine dependence; this point gave high sensitivity and specificity (0.75 and 0.80, respectively). These results suggest that our Japanese version of FTND is a reliable and valid measure of nicotine dependence in patients with smoking‐related cancers.