Community News 12/31/08
Local program provides prizes, support in helping smokers quit
By Craig Howard
News Editor

In the battle against lung cancer, Beryl Anderson serves most days on the front line.

As an oncology nurse with the Providence Cancer Center, Anderson meets patients shortly after they’ve been diagnosed. The duty is part advocate, part motivational coach.

“I meet them where they are and stay with them throughout treatment,” Anderson said. “I help them know what’s going on, what to expect.”

Part of Anderson’s role includes making sure patients and their families build a foundation of hope, even if what she says isn’t absorbed right away.

“It’s such an emotional time, many don’t hear the answers to their questions,” she said. “I spend a lot of time talking to patients, reassuring them and making sure their families get that support, too.”

Lung cancer accounts for more deaths – around 160,000 each year –  in the U.S. than any other cancer, according to the American Lung Association. Approximately 87 percent of cases involve people who have used tobacco.

The survivor rates for lung cancer vary dramatically from other types of cancer, according to ACS. While 99 percent of patients with prostate cancer and 88 percent of breast cancer patients are alive five years after the original diagnosis, only 15 percent of those with lung cancer reach the five-year mark.

Anderson said that research is showing that tobacco use and second hand smoke also plays a part in other cancers such as mouth and throat. ACS has stated that 85 percent of all cancer deaths could be avoided by a combination of regular screenings, exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding tobacco products.

“I make as many referrals as I can to programs that help people quit smoking,” Anderson said. “I wish we could do more to get that impression out there of what people go through once they are diagnosed with lung cancer.”

One of the resources Anderson points people to is the “Quit and Win” program sponsored by Community Health Education Resources. The free six-month course focuses on behavioral changes, positive reinforcement and support in a group setting. Prizes, including cash awards, are awarded to each participant who stays on track. The next “Quit and Win” program begins next month, with registration running from Jan. 5-10.

“It is very possible to quit,” said Elizabeth Seymore, a health educator with CHER who serves as an instructor with“Quit and Win” as well as a program called “Freedom from Smoking.” “It’s about reprogramming your brain, replacing that habit with something positive. We talk a lot about affirmations. I tell them to ‘Imagine yourself as a non-smoker.’”

A former smoker herself, Seymore tells participants to be aware of stress triggers that make them want a cigarette. She added that the accountability and reassurance found within a support group can also be keys to quitting..

“First, we address the habit, then the addiction,” Seymore said. “After three or four sessions, people say they are breathing better, smelling better.”

CHER joined forces with the local branch of the American Lung Association last month in generating awareness for Lung Cancer Awareness Month. A series of free seminars shed light on ways to prevent and treat the disease.

“Our focus is on health education in the community,” said Tamitha Anderson, spokeswoman for CHER. “Our goal this month was to provide valid information both for people who have lung cancer and family members who may be at risk.”

Part of that risk includes exposure to second hand tobacco smoke. According to a report by the U.S. Surgeon General, breathing second-hand smoke “has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer.” In addition, the study concluded that “there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke” and “concentrations of many cancer-causing and toxic chemicals are higher in secondhand smoke than in the smoke inhaled by smokers.”

“Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers,” the report states.
Seymore also mentioned the dangers associated with “third-hand smoke,” where nicotine and other chemicals permeate clothing, carpet and furniture.

“It’s still absorbed into those materials – and that’s not good,” she said.
Lung cancer is generally divided into two categories – small cell and non-small cell. About 85 percent of lung cancer patients are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer caused primarily by tobacco use or breathing in second-hand smoke. Those exposed to cancer-causing chemicals such as asbestos in the workplace are also at risk for developing lung cancer.

Symptoms of small cell and non-small cell lung cancer include one or more of the following – coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of appetite or weight loss.

The presentation on Nov.13 was part of an ongoing series called “Understanding Cancer” which deals with risk factor sand treatment strategies for various types of cancer. The next installment is scheduled for Dec. 11 at Valley Hospital on colorectal cancer, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.