Your Views

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Guilty Burden of Lung Cancer

Last week's story "Something in the Air" touched a nerve with readers, many of whom shared stories about the shame and blame that ensue when a smoker receives a diagnosis of lung cancer. A selection follows.

I discovered the inequities firsthand when my mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2001. She had smoked for several decades but quit nine years before this diagnosis.

After her breast cancer diagnosis, I found lots of information that helped me understand the disease and allowed me to discuss treatment options with her. She received tremendous emotional support from medical personnel, friends and even strangers.

In contrast, I was shocked to discover how little information and support there is for lung cancer patients, despite the fact that it's more prevalent and deadly than breast cancer. The saddest thing, though, was that my mother internalized the diagnosis as if it were something she "deserved." Nobody deserves lung cancer; she certainly did not set out to "catch" it by smoking.

Cynthia Kay Stevens

Washington

Your article described well the guilt and blame associated with lung cancer by patients and the general public. Unfortunately, health policy experts are not immune to this attitude, which helps explain why lung cancer research receives little federal and state funding.

Nor is the medical community itself immune. A study we released last month said 52 percent of interviewed oncologists noted lack of sympathy among medical staff and 32 percent believe doctors are less likely to research alternative treatment options for lung cancer patients. These are chilling statistics.

The public health establishment as a whole needs to change its attitude and address lung cancer as a disease, not a punishment. The majority of patients still die within a year of diagnosis -- whether they smoked, used to smoke or never smoked. That statistic has never changed.

Laurie Fenton Ambrose

President & CEO

Lung Cancer Alliance

Washington

I was extremely moved by your article. On March 31, my upper left lobe was removed. I was and still am a smoker, trying hard to quit, which is obviously a New Year's resolution. I wish people could look past the cause of my cancer and more toward its cure and counseling. The stigma attached to the disease is worrisome and hurtful.

Paul A. Zoerner Jr.

Orlando

I lost my mother to lung cancer six years ago. She was very angry at herself for ever smoking, even though she quit more than 15 years before she was diagnosed.

As it turned out, four of her seven sisters developed lung cancer, and her older sister never smoked. I remember that a nurse at a New York hospital where Mom underwent chemotherapy told her that she should never have smoked. My mom didn't deserve to feel guilt in addition to her pain.

Laura C. DeLellis

Fairfax Station

The survivors of lung cancer usually focus on the tobacco companies, suing them for millions of dollars and many times getting jury awards in the tens of millions of dollars.

Although these corporations should not be absolved of blame, certainly in our society there is a freedom of choice, as evidenced by an individual's guilt over taking up the habit.

But the legal system and individual plaintiffs would be better served if a reasonable cap were established on the suit size and survivors' awards. Certainly if the victims of 9/11 were reimbursed on the basis of lost future earning power and family status, the same should be true for lung cancer victims who are at least partly responsible for their own demise.

Nelson Marans

Silver Spring

Kids in the Military

As a military parent, I'm greatly concerned about how my kids are affected by deployments ["Deployments Disrupt Kids," Dec. 16].

My husband was sent to Afghanistan, I was later deployed to Iraq, and we are still dealing with our children's personality changes although we've been out of the army since 2004.

I noticed parents in this study were deployed for what we army vets consider to be a short rotation. If the researchers have another opportunity, please ask them to conduct an in-depth analysis of deployments from places like Ft. Campbell, where constant deployment rotations are commonplace. We still watch friends being sent back to war who are now on their fourth rotation in Iraq with each rotation lasting 12 to 18 months. They are lucky if they even get a full 12 months at home before they are sent back overseas again.

Shawn McNatt

Smyrna, Tenn.

We tend to forget how much home structure and environment affects a child's mental health and wellness. While missing parents weighs heavily, a familial support system of nurturing and supportive aunts, uncles and other extended family members can help alleviate the strain cause by deployments. Furthermore, day care groups and school structures can help.

Samantha Collado

Baltimore