Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 6, 1990 TAG: 9005030422
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ann Landers
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
More than 6 million Americans who have a history of cancer are alive today who have a history of cancer; 3 million of them were diagnosed five or more years ago. Most of these 3 million can be considered cured. By "cured" it is meant that a patient has shows no evidence of disease and has the same life expectancy as a person who never had the disease. These facts and figures indicate that early detection and early treatment can and do make the difference between life and death.
This year, about 510,000 people will die of the disease. For 50 years, breast cancer was the major cause of cancer death in women. In 1990, for the first time, breast cancer moved to second place, and lung cancer took over. The principal culprit is cigarette smoking. It remains the single most important preventable cause of death in our society.
Smoking also has been implicated in cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, uterus, cervix and bladder. Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease.
Recent surveys show that more men have quit smoking and more women have taken up the habit and at an earlier age. Teen-agers (especially girls) represent the largest group of new and heavy smokers. There are about 49 million smokers in the United States today and 40 million ex-cigarette smokers.
The symptoms for lung cancer are: a persistent cough, sputum streaked with blood, chest pains and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis. Two cigarettes a day doubles your chances of getting lung cancer over 30 years. Three triples it, and so on up to 20. Does it pay to quit? Ten years after you quit smoking, the added risk of lung cancer virtually disappears.
In 1987, it was estimated that 45 percent of all adults who had ever smoked had quit. Chewing tobacco or using snuff as a substitute is not a good idea. There is a risk of getting cancer of the mouth, larynx, throat and esophagus.
I worry about major-league baseball players when I see them with wads in their mouths. And I worry about the example the players are setting for this country's youth.
About one in 11 men will develop prostate cancer. This is the second most common cancer in men. (Skin cancer is first.) Eighty percent of all prostate cancers occur in men over the age of 65. Most common symptoms are: difficulty in urination and the need to urinate frequently, especially at night. For reasons not known, black Americans have the highest incidence rate of prostate cancer in the world.
The seven warning signals of cancer are:
1. Change in bowel habits.
2. A sore that does not heal.
3. Unusual bleeding or discharge.
4. Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere.
5. Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.
6. Obvious change in wart or mole.
7. Nagging cough or hoarseness.
If you have a warning signal, see your doctor at once.
GEM OF THE DAY: Yogi Berra, when told by a major celebrity, "You look cool," replied, "You don't look so hot yourself." Creators Syndicate
by CNB