Study to Help Youth with Cancer Quit Smoking and Cannabis Use

Lurie Children’s oncologist Lindsay Schwartz, MD, MS, received Conquer Cancer Career Development Award from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation to support her research and novel strategies to reduce substance use in youth with cancer.

The $200,000 three-year grant will help support Dr. Schwartz’s study to gain a better understanding of why adolescent and young adult cancer patients are more likely to smoke/vape nicotine and/or cannabis compared to their cancer-free peers and what might help them quit. Young people with cancer often face intense stress, anxiety, and life disruptions during treatment, and some may turn to vaping or cannabis to cope with emotional distress or treatment symptoms even though these substances can worsen cancer treatment side effects, long-term health problems and survival, explains Dr. Schwartz. 

Her study aims to better understand those experiences rather than simply telling patients to “quit.” The project will create a support program specifically designed for young adults with cancer because traditional substance cessation programs are not tailored to the unique challenges of cancer treatment and survivorship in this age group. 

The intervention will use mobile health technology (text messaging and virtual support sessions) to make the program easier, more private, and more accessible for young adults, who often prefer digital communication and may have difficulty attending in-person programs. 

The long-term goal of this research is to help young adults with cancer reduce harmful substance use, improve emotional well-being and resilience, and ultimately improve both cancer outcomes and quality of life.
Dr. Schwartz was presented the award at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. The award provides research funding to clinical investigators, who have received their initial faculty appointment, as they work to establish an independent clinical cancer research program. It is a mentored award, and the research project will be conducted under the guidance of the scientific mentor, Tara Henderson, MD, MPH, pediatric cancer survivorship expert, as well as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and the Founders’ Board Centennial Professor of Pediatrics at Lurie Children’s.

The Conquer Cancer Career Development Award is supported by AstraZeneca; Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network; Breast Cancer Research Foundation; The Cinelli Family Foundation; Father William O. Seery Foundation; Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; Genentech, a member of the Roche Group; Hearst Foundations; Johnson & Johnson; Lilly; Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation; and Walther Cancer Foundation.