, 2009), tends to have a fairly fast onset and Temsirolimus solubility is more short-lived than changes observed with general levels of craving. The cumulative effect of general craving, especially after a quit attempt, may be related to the likelihood of relapse (Drummond et al., 2000). General craving experienced during a period of ��smoking as usual�� may not reach peak intensity or be long-lasting, as it is likely alleviated relatively quickly through nicotine administration (i.e., smoking the next cigarette). In contrast, general craving experienced after a quit attempt is likely more intense and longer lasting in nature, and thus may be a stronger predictor of cessation outcome. Cue-induced craving indexes how responsive a person is to external environmental cues.

Presumably, craving experienced as part of a cue-reactivity exposure in a laboratory or clinical setting reflects how an individual will respond to cues in the environment during the quit period. This, in turn, may affect a person��s risk of relapse such that those who are more reactive will have greater difficulty quitting (Drummond et al., 2000; Rohsenow & Monti, 1999). However, there is controversy in the smoking literature about the degree to which cue-induced craving is related to relapse. Some assert that responses to drug-related cues do predict successful cessation (e.g., Ferguson & Shiffman, 2009), while others have argued that there is scant evidence in the literature of any association between cue-induced craving and relapse (Perkins, 2012).

This review inventoried peer-reviewed journal articles that reported on the relationship between craving and outcome in the context of smoking cessation trials. We intended this review to be inclusive as possible. As a result, the included research addressed a range of questions regarding the nature of the relationships between craving and treatment outcome with statistics representing a wide variety of data analytic strategies. The diversity in statistics and outcome measures reported (e.g., dichotomous outcomes, continuous outcomes, time-to-event data) made collation of the effect sizes into one common metric unfeasible (Deeks, Higgins, & Altman, 2008; Lipsey & Wilson, 2001). Further, a large number of studies did not report statistics or used statistical methods that could not be combined with other studies. Consequently, formal meta-analysis was not used to combine study results. However, effect sizes were aggregated when possible to illustrate the magnitude of the craving�Coutcome relationship. METHODS A literature search was conducted with the MEDLINE Drug_discovery via EBSCO and PsycINFO search engines using the following terms: ��smoking,�� ��treatment,�� and ��urge�� or ��craving�� or ��desire.