Lung Cancer Screening

Classes and Support

Smoking Cessation is Critical
The link between smoking history and lung cancer is clear, with estimates that nearly 87% of lung cancers are directly related to tobacco smoke. Overall, smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 438,000 American lives each year, including those affected indirectly, such as babies born prematurely due to prenatal maternal smoking and victims of "secondhand" smoke.

Smokers also are at greater risk of developing heart and vascular disease, many other forms of cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, peripheral artery disease and stroke.

According to the American Lung Association, men who smoke lose an average of 13.2 years of life, while smoking women lose even more—an average of 14.5 years.

The good news is that quitting smoking provides almost immediate health benefits to smokers. If a smoker quits before age 35, it decreases his/her risk of lung cancer by 90%. Even later in life, quitting now can significantly reduce a person’s chances of developing lung cancer and other smoking-related conditions.

Numerous national studies have shown that the most successful ex-smokers use a combination of therapies, including participation in a smoking-cessation program—such as the American Lung Association’s proven Freedom From Smoking program offered at Ingalls—physician advice, nicotine replacement therapy, non-nicotine medications (such as Chantix by Pfizer), anti-depressants (such as Welbutrin), and behavior modification.

Freedom from Smoking focuses on a variety of issues that smokers face when they are trying to quit, such as weight gain, stress, recovery symptoms, how to handle cravings, avoiding relapse, the importance of exercise and more. Participants receive valuable educational materials and support resources to increase their chances of success.

Ingalls also offers a variety of complementary therapies such as stress-relieving massages, acupuncture and hypnosis, and referral to physicians who conduct a targeted 15-minute consultation to assess "quit readiness" and appropriateness for any number of proven successful medication therapies.