- The recent passing of Dana Reeves, widow of actor Christopher Reeves, took many people by surprise – despite her public disclosure just seven months ago that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. How could a vibrant, seemingly healthy, non-smoking woman, be diagnosed with this disease, let alone succumb so quickly after its discovery?
Reeves’ untimely death is a sad, yet important reminder that lung cancer can strike anyone – smoker or non-smoker – at any age. Everyone is at risk. It’s a silent disease that often goes undiagnosed and progresses undetected because it rarely causes symptoms in its earliest stages. In fact, only 15 percent of lung cancer cases are detected early, usually found by chance, through a chest x-ray, CT scan or another test performed for an unrelated reason.
Symptoms of lung cancer can include: a chronic cough, hoarseness, coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite, shortness of breath or wheezing, unexplained fever, repeated bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia and chest pain. By the time these symptoms may be apparent, however, the disease is often relatively advanced.
Because the majority of lung cancer patients are diagnosed in the later stages of this disease, a coordinated comprehensive level of care and an aggressive approach to treatment is essential to ensure the best patient outcomes and enhance satisfaction for both patients and their caregivers.
This level of complete comprehensive care is available at Monmouth Medical Center’s lung cancer program of the Leon Hess Cancer Center under the direction of thoracic surgeon Lourens Willekes, II, MD. Here, patients who are diagnosed with lung cancer, or those with symptoms, receive an unparalleled level of care with an advanced array of state-of-the-art diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative services all coordinated in one convenient, supportive location.
“We work with a team of medical professionals to deliver a coordinated, mult-disciplinary approach,” says Dr. Willekes. Team members include a thoracic surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, pulmonologist, oncology nurse practitioner, oncology social worker, dietician, palliative care specialist and other supportive personnel.
Under the guidance of physicians with assistance from nurse practitioners, each lung cancer case is addressed by the team members, with on-going conference coordination to discuss treatment options available and to help execute the most effective treatment plan.
“This approach ensures individual continuity of care through the treatment process,” says Dr. Willekes. “The team follows every patient from the time of diagnosis and makes adjustments to their individual care plan accordingly throughout the treatment,” he adds.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in this country. In fact, more people die in this country from lung cancer than from colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. “Of the estimated 160,000 people who died from lung cancer in this country last year,” says Dr. Willekes, “approximately 4,700 of them were in New Jersey.” Sobering statistics that reinforce the value of Monmouth’s state-of-the-art lung cancer program, and underscore the need to examine the prevalence of this disease.
According to the ACS, 87 percent of lung cancer deaths are caused by cigarette smoking – which also increases the risk for heart disease, stroke and a myriad of other life threatening diseases. In fact, more than a decade ago, the Surgeon General declared cigarette smoking as the major single cause of cancer deaths in this country – a statement that remains true to this day. There is no longer any doubt that smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in America today. Furthermore, experts are increasingly suspicious of the carcinogenic effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS, commonly known as secondhand smoke), as the rate of lung cancer diagnoses among nonsmokers continues to rise.
ETS consists of exhaled smoke from smokers and side stream smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe, and contains more than 4,000 substances, including more than 40 known cancer-causing compounds. In addition to causing lung cancer, ETS is linked to nasal and sinus cancers, as well as cancers of the cervix, breast and bladder. It is also associated with chronic heart disease, an increase in respiratory infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia, and an increased risk and severity of asthma in children. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke has been linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), low birth weight babies, and miscarriage.
In Dana Reeves’ case, exposure to ETS during her career as a cabaret singer in smoky nightclubs was most likely a significant contributing factor in her development and death from lung cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, exposure to secondhand smoke, or ETS, causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in non-smokers every year. A factor which has led many states in this country – including New Jersey – to pursue ‘smoke free’ legislation that regulates indoor air quality and dictates where people will be able to smoke.
Currently, more than 46 million adults in the U.S. are smokers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These numbers equate to almost a quarter of the total adult population in this country, or one in every four men and women.
There is no denying that it’s hard to quit smoking. Nicotine is a powerful drug found in all tobacco products. It’s also a highly addictive drug, not unlike heroin or cocaine. Because of this, it can often take numerous quit attempts before smokers are finally able to stop smoking for good. But as hard as it is to quit smoking, making that commitment is an important first step in reducing the prevalence of lung cancer.
Connie Greene, director of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System’s Behavioral Health Network’s Institute for Prevention, says, “Whether you have tried to quit before or are considering stopping tobacco use for the first time, the Saint Barnabas Behavioral Health Network’s Tobacco Dependence Treatment Program can assist you. Our program recognizes the difficulty in stopping tobacco use and offers a comprehensive treatment service utilizing all of the latest research.”
Offered through the Saint Barnabas Behavioral Health Network’s Institute for Prevention and funded by the New Jersey Department of Health & Senior Services Division of Epidemiology, the Tobacco Dependence Treatment Program encompasses assessment, behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy to help participants achieve success. Since the program’s inception in 2000, more than 1,000 people have gone through the program to successfully quit smoking.
Before beginning the program, participants undergo an assessment to gauge their stage of “change readiness,” and willingness to quit smoking, Greene explains. A comprehensive Nicotine Dependence Evaluation is also conducted. Individual, group and family therapy is also available to encourage and support participants to remain committed to being tobacco-free.
Participants are also given access to a variety of pharmacotherapy aides related to Nicotine Replacement Therapy, which may include a skin patch or chewing gum; as well prescriptions for inhalers, nasal sprays or medication such as Bupropion, all proven to assist with nicotine addiction.
“Because each person is unique, the length of the program will vary from individual to individual,” Greene explains. “Those interested may take advantage of a free tobacco dependence assessment before joining the program. After the assessment, there is a minimal fee to continue the sessions. The program will also offer participants nicotine replacement therapies at a discounted rate.”
Regardless of how long or how much an individual has smoked, quitting decreases the risk of developing lung cancer, and after 10 years smoke-free, an individual’s risk of dying from this disease is 30 percent to 50 percent less than for those who continue to smoke.
“Don’t put it off any longer,” adds Greene. “Make the commitment to quit smoking, and break your addiction to nicotine.”
In addition to helping individuals quit smoking, the Tobacco Dependence Program offers corporate smoking cessation programming for organizations that wish to help their employees quit smoking. Programs are available for onsite delivery and throughout Union, Essex, Monmouth and Ocean counties.
For more information about corporate or individual smoking cessation programming, or to schedule a free assessment appointment with the Saint Barnabas Behavioral Health Network’s Tobacco Dependence Treatment Program, call (732) 914-1688 ext. 73955. For more information about the lung cancer program at Monmouth Medical Center, or to reach Dr. Willekes for a lung cancer consultation or follow-up care, please call (732) 870-6060.
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