1. ¹Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
2. ²Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
3. ³The Harold C Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Division, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
4. ⁴Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, The Harold C Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA

Correspondence: Dr JD Robinson, Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, PO Box 301439 – Unit 1330, Houston, TX 77230-1439, USA. E-mail: jdrobinson@mdanderson.org

Received 6 June 2006; Revised 2 October 2006; Accepted 9 October 2006; Published online 26 December 2006.

Abstract

The dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) gene has polymorphisms that have been linked to regulation of the dopamine system and to an increased prevalence of smoking. The present study examined the relationship of the DRD2 TaqI-A and -B polymorphisms with short-term clinical outcome (abstinence and withdrawal symptoms), collected from daily (14 pre-quit and 42 post-quit) diary data among smokers (n=116) treated with the nicotine patch plus either venlafaxine or placebo. The results showed that B1/B1 or B1/B2 smokers were slightly less likely to be abstinent on a given day than those homozygous for the TaqI-B2 allele. Significant DRD2 TaqI-B time interactions were found for several of the withdrawal scales, indicating that those smokers with the B1/B1 or B1/B2 genotypes tended to report more symptoms over time compared to those with the B2/B2 genotype. No interactions or main effects were found for the DRD2 TaqI-A polymorphism. The findings demonstrate that smokers homozygous for the TaqI-B2 allele experience progressive improvement in self-reported withdrawal symptoms while smokers with the TaqI-B1 allele showing little change.