Smoking cessation after genotype notification: pilot studies of smokers employed by a municipal government and those on Nagoya University medical campus.

In order to examine whether a notification of genotypes related to a susceptibility to smoking has any influence on an intention to quit, a pilot study was conducted for 61 smokers out of 66 municipal government employees who attended an anti-smoking seminar in November 2005 or January 2006 (MG), and for 46 smokers (employees and students) on a medical campus (Tsurumai Campus) of Nagoya University (TC), who voluntarily responded to the study enrollment notice in August 2006. They were genotyped for four polymorphisms; GSTM1 null/present, GSTT1 null/present, NQO1 C609T, and CYP1A1 Ile/Val. For the MG group, their smoking habits were ascertained three times; at enrollment, one month later just before the genotype notification by in-house mail, and three months after the notification. The smoking cessation rate was 8.2%. For the TC group, their genotypes were mailed two weeks after blood sampling. The follow-up questionnaire three months after the genotype notification found a 10.9% cessation rate. Their stage of smoking cessation significantly improved after the genotype notification. This study demonstrated that the effects of the genotype notification in this context of smoking cessation were moderate and less remarkable than might have been expected. Although the genotype notification in TC improved their stage of readiness to quit smoking, additional skills or tools in support of the notification are needed to achieve a higher cessation rate.