He recovered, and I still remember what a friend told me to help me through it.
Story by insider@insider.com (Lindsay Karp)
Two decades ago, when I was 17, my dad’s tongue cancer was diagnosed.
He needed aggressive treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, for seven weeks.
I leaned on a friend’s advice to remember that the treatment, not the cancer, would make him sick.
I was 17 when I arrived home from school to find two cars in the driveway.
I knew life was about to change.
My father, who should’ve been at work, met me in the doorway.
“I have tongue cancer. Stage four,” he said, “But I’m going to be OK.”
My father’s disclosure stung like alcohol on an open wound;
his confidence was emptier than a deserted island.
I’m 39 now — a mother with two children of my own — but I still remember
the words a friend offered in the days following my father’s diagnosis:
“Remember, it’s the treatment making him sick, not cancer.”
I thought my dad was going to die
My paternal grandmother had died from cancer two decades prior. That’s what I knew about cancer at 17: It killed you. It multiplied faster than you could detect it, surreptitiously spreading from one organ to another. Within months of discovering cancer in her lungs and brain, she was gone.
When I heard the words “stage four” from my father, I crumbled. Nothing can prepare us for a loved one’s journey with cancer. But my mother’s friend’s words of advice supported me through unprecedented times.
I reminded myself about the treatment all the time
My father was the stability in my childhood home. He remained calm when my mother and I couldn’t — and during his treatment, that didn’t change. I saw him as our strength.
When I saw him lying in bed instead of mowing the lawn or resting on the couch instead of washing the cars, I reminded myself he was fatigued from the chemotherapy and not from cancer. When his skin became red and irritated,
I remembered that it stemmed from the radiation and not the cancer itself. When swallowing became a chore and he got a feeding tube, I told myself this was a temporary phase in his treatment. And when I saw him after his lymph-node-removal surgery with tubes draining fluid from his neck, I remembered my mother’s friend’s words again. This was all part of his treatment — every symptom was a sign of what was saving him. And it did.
Those words got me through
My dad survived. Now, 20 years later, he’s the grandfather of my children, always with a joke to share and still capable of remaining calm through stress, a quality I’m continuously trying to adopt.
A diagnosis of stage-four tongue cancer meant aggressive treatment over seven weeks: radiation five days a week, chemotherapy once a week, and a neck-dissection surgery to remove lymph nodes with cancer cells. He’s dealt with slowly progressive dysphagia, a difficulty swallowing, over the past two decades. But his story has a happy ending.
The final months of my senior year of high school weren’t easy, but they would have been much darker had my mother’s friend did not offer those helpful words. I would’ve associated my father’s struggling with a deterioration caused by cancer. I might have viewed manifestations of treatment as signs of sickness and reasons to worry instead of as part of a path toward renewed health. She said the words I couldn’t have found on my own and made perfect sense when nothing else did.
What does smoking cigarettes do to your body – Search Videos (bing.com)
Cigarette smoking is responsible for about 80% to 90% of all lung cancer cases. Smoking causes about 20% of all cancers and about 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 80% of all cases of the disease are caused by smoking. According to the National Cancer Institute, 30% of all cancer deaths are directly attributable to smoking. Smoking also increases the risk for cancers of the mouth and larynx. Smoking – Our World in Data
Secondhand Smoke and Cancer
SECONDHAND SMOKE (SOMETIMES CALLED PASSIVE SMOKE, ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE, OR INVOLUNTARY SMOKE) IS A MIXTURE OF SIDESTREAM SMOKE (THE SMOKE FROM THE BURNING TIP OF A CIGARETTE OR OTHER SMOKED TOBACCO PRODUCT) AND MAINSTREAM SMOKE (SMOKE EXHALED
BY A SMOKER THAT IS DILUTED BY THE SURROUNDING AIR) (1–3).
Major settings of exposure to secondhand smoke include workplaces,
public places such as bars, restaurants and recreational settings, and homes (4).
Workplaces and homes are especially important sources of exposure because of the length of time people spend in these settings. The home is a particularly important source of exposure for infants and young children. Children and nonsmoking adults can also be exposed to secondhand smoke in vehicles, where levels of exposure can be high.
Exposure levels can also be high in enclosed public places where smoking is allowed, such as restaurants, bars, and casinos, resulting in substantial exposures for both workers and patrons (3). In the United States, most secondhand smoke comes from cigarettes, followed by pipes, cigars, and other smoked tobacco products.
How is secondhand smoke exposure measured?
Secondhand smoke exposure can be measured by testing indoor air for respirable (breathable) suspended particles (particles small enough to reach the lower airways of the human lung) or individual chemicals such as nicotine or other harmful and potentially harmful constituents of tobacco smoke (3, 5).
Exposure to secondhand smoke can also be evaluated by measuring the level of biomarkers such as cotinine (a byproduct of nicotine metabolism) in a nonsmoker’s blood, saliva, or urine (1). Nicotine, cotinine, and other chemicals present in secondhand smoke have been found in the body fluids of nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke.
Does secondhand smoke contain harmful chemicals?
Yes. Many of the harmful chemicals that are in the smoke inhaled by smokers are also found in secondhand smoke (1, 3, 6, 7), including some that cause cancer (1, 3, 7, 8).
These include:
Benzene
Tobacco-specific nitrosamines
Benzo[α]pyrene
1,3–butadiene (a hazardous gas)
Cadmium (a toxic metal)
Formaldehyde
Acetaldehyde
Many factors affect which chemicals and how much of them are found in secondhand smoke. These factors include the type of tobacco used in manufacturing a specific product, the chemicals (including flavorings such as menthol) added to the tobacco, the way the tobacco product is smoked, and—for cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos—the material in which the tobacco is wrapped (1–3, 7).
Does secondhand smoke cause cancer?
Yes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. National Toxicology Program, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have all classified secondhand smoke as a known human carcinogen (a cancer-causing agent) (1, 3, 7, 9). In addition, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has concluded that secondhand smoke is an occupational carcinogen (3).
The Surgeon General estimates that, during 2005-2009, secondhand smoke exposure caused more than 7,300 lung cancer deaths among adult nonsmokers each year (10).
Some research also suggests that secondhand smoke may increase the risk of breast cancer, nasal sinus cavity cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer in adults (10) and the risk of leukemia, lymphoma, and brain tumors in children (3). Additional research is needed to determine whether a link exists between secondhand smoke exposure and these cancers.
What are the other health effects of exposure to secondhand smoke?
Secondhand smoke is associated with disease and premature death in nonsmoking adults and children (3, 7). Exposure to secondhand smoke irritates the airways and has immediate harmful effects on a person’s heart and blood vessels. It increases the risk of heart disease by about 25 to 30% (3). In the United States, secondhand smoke is estimated to cause nearly 34,000 heart disease deaths each year (10). Exposure to secondhand smoke also increases the risk of stroke by 20 to 30% (10).
Secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy has been found to cause reduced fertility, pregnancy complications, and poor birth outcomes, including impaired lung development, low birth weight, and preterm delivery (11).
Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, and more severe asthma. Being exposed to secondhand smoke slows the growth of children’s lungs and can cause them to cough, wheeze, and feel breathless (3, 7, 10).
There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Even low levels of secondhand smoke can be harmful.
How can you protect yourself and your family from secondhand smoke?
The only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking in indoor workplaces and public places and by creating smoke free policies for personal spaces, including multi unit residential housing. Opening windows, using fans and ventilation systems, and restricting smoking to certain rooms in the home or to certain times of the day does not eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke (3, 4).
Steps you can take to protect yourself and your family include:
not allowing smoking in your home
not allowing anyone to smoke in your car, even with the windows down
making sure the places where your children are cared for are tobacco free
teaching children to avoid secondhand smoke at restaurants, bars, and other places that are smokefree (if your state still allows smoking in public areas)
protecting your family from secondhand smoke and being a good role model by not smoking or using any other type of tobacco product. For help to quit see smokefree.gov or call 1-877-44U-QUIT.
Do electronic cigarettes emit secondhand smoke?
Electronic cigarettes (also called e-cigarettes, vape pens, vapes, and pod mods) are battery-powered devices designed to heat a liquid, which typically contains nicotine, into an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Following inhalation, the user exhales the aerosol (12).
The use of electronic cigarettes results in exposure to secondhand aerosols (rather than secondhand smoke). Secondhand aerosols contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including nicotine, heavy metals like lead, volatile organic compounds, and cancer-causing agents. More information about these devices is available on CDC’s Electronic Cigarettes page.
What is being done to reduce nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke?
On the federal level, several policies restricting smoking in public places have been implemented. Federal law prohibits smoking on airline flights, interstate buses, and most trains. Smoking is also prohibited in most federal buildings by Executive Order 13058 of 1997. The Pro-Children Act of 1994 prohibits smoking in facilities that routinely provide federally funded services to children. The Department of Housing and Urban Development published a final rule in December 2016, which was fully implemented in July 2018, that prohibits the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and hookah (water pipes) in public housing authorities, including all living units, indoor common areas, and administrative offices, as well as outdoor areas within 25 feet of buildings.
Many state and local governments have enacted laws that prohibit smoking in workplaces and public places, including restaurants, bars, schools, hospitals, airports, bus terminals, parks, and beaches. These smoke free policies have substantially decreased exposure to secondhand smoke in many U.S. workplaces (13). More than half of all states have implemented comprehensive smoke free laws that prohibit smoking in indoor areas of workplaces, restaurants, and bars, and some states and communities also have enacted laws regulating smoking in multi-unit housing and cars (14).
To highlight the health risks from secondhand smoke, the National Cancer Institute requires that meetings and conferences organized or primarily sponsored by NCI be held in a state, county, city, or town that has adopted a comprehensive smoke free policy, unless specific circumstances justify an exception to this policy.
Healthy People 2020, a comprehensive nationwide health promotion and disease prevention framework established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), includes several objectives addressing the goal of reducing illness, disability, and death caused by tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. For 2020, the Healthy People goal is to reduce the proportion of nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke by 10%. To assist with achieving this goal, Healthy People 2020 includes ideas for community interventions, such as encouraging the introduction of smokefree policies in all workplaces and other public gathering places, such as public parks, sporting arenas, and beaches.
38000 people die from secondhand smoke every year (bing.com)
Because of these policies and other actions, the percentage of nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke declined from 52.5% during 1999–2000 to 25.3% during 2011–2014 (15). Exposure to secondhand smoke declined among all population subgroups, but disparities still exist. During 2011–2014, 38% of children ages 3–11 years, 50% of non-Hispanic blacks, 48% of people living below the poverty level, and 39% of people living in rental housing were exposed to secondhand smoke (15).
Smoking statistics 2024 | SingleCare
After smoking, radon exposure is considered the second most common cause of lung cancer in the United States.
It is usually suspected when someone who has never smoked or lived around anyone who smokes is diagnosed with lung cancer.
But what is radon? How might you encounter it in everyday life? And, is there anything you can do to minimize your risk of exposure?
We spoke with Ernest Hawk, M.D., vice president and head of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences. Here’s what he shared.
What is radon, and how are people normally exposed to it?
Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless, tasteless, invisible and radioactive
gas that escapes from certain uranium-containing soils and rock formations. It becomes problematic when enclosed living spaces are built over these areas, typically by seeping into foundational cracks and becoming concentrated in their airspaces.
This seepage occurs most often at the ground floor level. But depending on the state of ventilation in a particular house — or how “tightly sealed” its windows and doors are —
it could affect the upper living areas as well.
What is radon’s connection to lung cancer?
The association between radon and lung cancer was originally reported in studies of underground miners, but it’s been confirmed in more recent studies of household exposure, too.
When breathed into the body, radon injures the lungs slightly. Typically, it requires years of exposure before it causes any health concerns. But over time, it can cause lung cancer by damaging the cells’ DNA.
How high is the risk of developing lung cancer from radon exposure?
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon exposure causes approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States.
About 2,900 of those deaths occur among people who have never smoked.
Your risk of developing lung cancer is considerably higher if you smoke and live in a house affected by radon than if you don’t, but it also depends on the dose and duration of your radon exposure.
Are there any warning signs or symptoms of radon poisoning/radon-caused lung cancer?
No. Unfortunately, the first signs of significant radon exposure are often the same as the symptoms that precede a lung cancer diagnosis:
coughing
shortness of breath, and
hemoptysis (coughing up blood).
There are no symptoms specific to radon exposure that I’m aware of.
Are there any unique features of lung cancer that’s been caused by radon exposure?
Not to my knowledge. This is an area of lung cancer investigation that has previously been understudied. But no molecular signatures of radon have been identified to date.
Is lung cancer caused by radon exposure diagnosed or treated any differently than other types?
Again, not that I’m aware of, though the field of lung cancer treatment has exploded over the last decade, with many interventions directed toward specific molecular derangements.
Still, none specifically have been identified as more commonly occurring in radon- versus tobacco-induced cancers. And there is currently no clinical way of identifying patients who have this subtype of lung cancer.
What’s considered an acceptable range of radon inside a home?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the surgeon general suggest the remediation of homes when measured levels exceed 4 pCuries/L. The World Health Organization suggests home remediation at a level of 3pCuries/L or higher.
When and how often should you get your home tested for radon pollution?
The CDC recommends it:
at the time of purchase, if it’s never been done before and following any renovations, and before deciding to live in the lower levels of a home, such as a basement bedroom.
This last one is because radon levels tend to be higher in the lower levels of a home
than in its upper levels.
Who should consider getting radon detectors or having radon mitigation systems installed?
Anyone can have their home tested, as test kits are inexpensive and widely available.
If radon levels are above the level recommended for action, speak with a professional mitigation specialist about sealing foundational cracks and installing a venting system.
Are there any geographical features that can increase your risk of radon exposure?
Yes. Some areas of the country are more commonly affected than others. My family home in Maryland is in such a region. When tested, we found that the ground floor had high levels; but it’s now at sub-threshold levels following successful remediation. However, high radon levels have been reported in every state, so home testing is appropriate for everyone.
And, if you’re at high risk — as a heavy smoker, for instance, who has also had significant radon exposure — then it’s worth being screened for lung cancer. Low-dose CT screening can often detect early-stage lung cancer before it spreads.
Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer. It is estimated to cause between 3% to 14% of all lung cancers in a country, depending on the national average radon level and smoking prevalence. Radon is the second biggest cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. Lung cancer risk is higher for smokers due to synergistic effects of radon and cigarette smoking.
Radon gas and Lung Cancer – Search Videos (bing.com)
TikTok star Randy Gonzalez died of colon cancer at 35 — these are the top risk factors, from diet to drinking habits
Randy Gonzalez, a 35-year-old TikTok star, died of colon cancer. Research shows it’s on the rise in younger people. Habits like exercising and eating enough fiber can help prevent the disease, according to a doctor. It’s also important to get regular screenings, since genetics can be a major factor too.
Randy Gonzalez, part of a viral TikTok duo, has died of colon cancer at age 35. Gonzalez, along with his 7-year-old son, Brice, had built a hit social media channel known as Enkyboys. Randy Gonzalez (@enkyboys) • Instagram photos and videos
Gonzalez died in hospice January 25, TMZ first reported.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis in the US, according to the American Cancer Society.
While the majority of colon cancer cases occur in people over 50, the disease is on the rise among younger people, in part because of some preventable risk factors, including diet.
Factors like lifestyle, eating habits, and family history all play a role in how at risk you might be.
But not all factors in colon cancer are in your control, like genetics and other health conditions, according to Dr. Austin Chiang, gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at Jefferson Health.
“The most well-defined risk factors are specific conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, inherited conditions like Lynch syndrome, or a family history of colon cancer,” he told Insider. “However, there are other things that could increase risk such as smoking, frequent consumption of red meat, and obesity.”
How to prevent colon cancer
Making healthy changes to your routine can help manage the risk, according to
Anjee Davis, the president of Fight Colorectal Cancer, an advocacy organization for patients with colorectal cancer.
“Getting screened for colorectal cancer is the most effective and most important way to prevent it and reduce your risk. However, there are lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk of polyps and colorectal cancer,” she told Insider.
Based on the latest evidence, eating more plant-based foods high in fiber, cutting back on alcohol and red meat, and staying active may be helpful ways to stave off colon cancer, though some factors, like genetics, may be out of your control.
Five top tips to help you quit smoking:
- Make a plan. Think about what could help you stop smoking, such as using a nicotine-replacement product, and have it ready before you plan to stop.
- Get support and let your family and friends know that you’re quitting. Some people find that talking to friends and relatives who have stopped can be helpful. You can also talk to the local stop smoking team.
- Keep busy to help take your mind off cigarettes. Try to change your routine, and avoid the shop where you normally buy cigarettes.
- Treat yourself. If you can, use the money you’re saving by not smoking to buy yourself something special.