SNPs associated with continuous abstinence during weeks 9–12 of the treatment period are shown in Table 2. Among the subjects randomized to varenicline treatment, two polymorphisms in CHRNB2 (rs3811450 and rs4262952) were associated with the largest increased odds of continuous smoking abstinence from weeks 9 to 12 (OR=2.52 (CI: 1.32–4.78); OR=2.44 (CI: 1.28–4.63)). Additionally, there were significant associations of SNPs within the chromosome 15q25 locus, as well as the CHRNA4 and CHRNA7 gene loci. The SNP most significantly associated with continuous abstinence from weeks 9 to 12 in the varenicline-treated smokers, rs7164594, is within the 15q25 locus and is in strong LD with rs2036534 (r2=0.98), a SNP previously determined to be significantly associated with lung cancer (Amos et al, 2008) (Figure 1a).
