Tobacco Issues: Background information

Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in every state. As a society, we can no longer ignore the 171,000 Americans who will be diagnosed with lung cancer every year and the 46 million former smokers at risk for the disease. A substantial amount of the money coming to the states from the tobacco settlement should be used not only for smoking prevention and cessation programs but also to meet the very real needs of people living with or at risk for lung cancer. If states focus only on prevention and cessation to alleviate smoking-related illness, they will fail to save thousands of lives and to reduce the enormous suffering caused by lung cancer. Programs for early detection, education about lung cancer and treatment options, and access to psycho social support must also receive funding.

In the United States, most people newly diagnosed with lung cancer are former smokers and people who never smoked. Former smokers carry a lifelong increased risk for lung cancer. For these people, early diagnosis is critical for survival. However, because there is no accepted lung cancer screening policy, 85% of people are diagnosed in late-stage disease. In addition, a prevailing attitude of fear and blame surrounds lung cancer and discourages people at risk from seeking medical attention.

Detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages allows more treatment options, offers the best chance for cure, and is cost-effective, compared with treating late-stage disease. Current research on several screening methods holds great promise for early detection. Once diagnosed, people deserve immediate referral to oncology professionals and informational materials to guide their healthcare decisions, regardless of stage of disease or age. They should have access to personal support services and programs to enhance their quality of life. The Alliance for Lung Cancer calls for a broad educational campaign about lung cancer in every state, with the goal of saving lives now and for decades to come. Tobacco settlement funds should support these efforts.

Websites

American Legacy Foundation is the leading national organization dedicated to preventing young people from smoking and tobacco use.

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

National Cancer Institute Tobacco Cessation Fact Sheet

National Institutes of Health Help on tobacco cessation and latest information on tobacco studies

A book of interest

A Question of Intent: A Great American Battle with a Deadly Industry, by David Kessler, Public Affairs, New York, 2001.This memoir is by David Kessler, U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner from 1990 to 1997, who formed a tobacco investigation team and took the industry to court.
Book review of Tobacco: A Question of Intent. Cliff Douglas, who was a member of the legal team that won a settlement from the tobacco industry for the State of Florida (before the later states tobacco settlement), has written this book review.