Patients Stress Importance

Of Not Smoking

DANBURY –– “Don’t start smoking; it’s not worth it,” a 65-year-old lung cancer patient told the audience as she broke down in tears at a recent Medical Town Meeting. She began to cry as she told of losing her husband to the devastating illness, which they both could have prevented by not starting to smoke as teens.

This woman was one of four Danbury Hospital patients suffering from either lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were asked by their doctors to speak at the meeting, “Smoking and Lung Cancer: A Personal Perspective.” The meeting took place in November to mark National Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the 25th Anniversary of the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout.

After the patients told of wishing they had not smoked, Michael Walker, MD, Robert Kloss, MD, Arthur Kotch, MD, and Donald Hulnick, MD, underscored the importance of lung cancer prevention. Pat Hough, a registered nurse and manager of the Praxair Cancer Center, moderated the meeting.

“Lung cancer can be prevented,” said Dr Walker. “Before cigarettes, lung cancer was rare.”

Today, however, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, with 160,000 deaths a year and killing more women than breast cancer. Almost 90 percent of all lung cancers are attributed to smoking.

Besides not smoking, doctors discussed the importance of a screening chest CT, which can help diagnose lung cancer in the early stages. The test is highly recommended for people who smoke or have a family history of lung cancer, and provides a much better picture of the lungs than a traditional X-ray.

The hospital’s Lung Tumor Board recommends the screening as a way to detect lung cancer early, which makes it more treatable. For more information about the screening chest CT, call Danbury Hospital’s Marketing & Community Relations Department at 797-7247, and ask for a copy of the brochure.