GUEST EDITORIAL
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Shreya Papneja — George Washington University
Each puff of a cigarette leads to the invasion of over 7,000 harmful chemicals into the human body, damaging the lining of the lungs and increasing carbon dioxide inhalation. Over time, these tobacco-induced chemicals wreak havoc on the lungs and other organs of the body, in which the leftover carcinogens have the potential to damage DNA and cause cells to mutate uncontrollably.
Smoking is linked to various pulmonary diseases, such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer — 90% of lung cancer deaths in the United States are associated with smoking and second-hand smoke. Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the United States and the world. By the end of 2022, it is estimated that lung cancer will claim the lives of approximately 130,180 individuals, according to the American Cancer Society.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in Florida, between the years of 2015-2019, there were 88,303 cases and 56,772 deaths due to lung cancer. The reason for the high mortality rate lies in the fact that most cancers are diagnosed at a distant stage, and this is because symptoms become most apparent when the cancer has grown and spread – at this point, the prognosis is poor and the cancer is more difficult to treat.
However, the solution to this problem is a technology called low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening. According to the United States Preventive Services Taskforce, individuals who are between the ages of 50-80, have a 20 pack-year smoking history, and are current smokers or have quit within the last 15 years are eligible for lung cancer screening. LDCT scans are the safest and most efficient way to scan patients for lung cancer and to detect the cancer at an early stage when the patient is asymptomatic.
However, there is a lot more we must do to broaden the guidelines in order to help more people who may be at high-risk, including those who smoke and those who don’t. Although most lung cancer cases are associated with smoking, there is a stigmatization that if a patient has lung cancer, they must have smoked. But anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. Nobody deserves it.
Moreover, there are many organizations and groups advocating against smoking, but as community members we need to do our part in helping those who currently smoke and provide them resources, such as smoking cessation programs and lung cancer screening. It’s extremely difficult for people to quit smoking due to how addictive tobacco is, so that is why we must invest in tobacco cessation programs. For every year after an individual quits smoking, their risk for lung cancer is reduced by 8% to 17%, depending on the kind of lung cancer they have.
Lung cancer screening is the best way to detect lung cancer, whereas smoking cessation is the best way to prevent lung cancer. It’s easy to tell someone not to do something, but real change happens when people are given a platform and a drive to make a difference in their life.
If you know anyone who might be eligible for lung cancer screening, encourage them to visit https://www.alcsi.org/.
Shreya Papneja is the president of the George Washington University Chapter of the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, which recently presented to the Florida Department of Health regarding lung cancer and tobacco prevention.
