Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

DC Limits Lung Cancer Costs

Washington, D.C., is the second-best place in the country at combatting the costs of lung cancer, according to the financial website Wallethub.

Wallethub ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their efforts to combat the economic and societal impacts of the disease, analyzing air quality, death rates from lung cancer, the number of tobacco users per capita and various other elements.

Hawaii was the only state to be ranked above the District, with Alaska, Utah and New Jersey rounding out the top five.

The final rankings were a composite of two factors: “favorable environment for avoiding lung cancer” and “lung cancer prevalence and prevention.” D.C. was ranked 14th and fourth, respectively.

According to the American Lung Association, the economic costs of smoking and lung cancer in D.C. exceed $600 million per year. There are over 650 cases of smoking-related cancer in the District each year, about 400 of which are lung cancer.

Roughly 20 percent of adults and 13 percent of high school students in D.C. smoke, with an estimated economic cost due to smoking of almost $627,000. In 2013, there were 724 deaths in D.C. attributable to smoking.

Wallethub’s study ranked D.C. fourth in the country for the lowest death rate from lung cancer, and fifth for the highest percentage of smokers who attempted to quit.

Despite the positive feedback from Wallethub, Kenneth Tercyak, a professor in the departments of oncology and pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, said that state governments are not doing enough to prevent tobacco use.

“In D.C., we have smoke-free air laws and moderately high cigarette taxes,” Tercyak said. “However, the level of resources devoted to tobacco prevention and cessation fall short of national spending guidelines recommended by [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention].”

The American Lung Association assigns D.C. a letter grade of F in tobacco prevention and cessation coverage, but an A in smoke-free air and a B in cigarette taxes. Out of the estimated 1,030 people in D.C. who died from cancer in 2013, one in four died of lung cancer.

Lung cancer claims more lives in the United States than the next three most common types of cancer with a survival rate under 17 percent, and over 224,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, according to the CDC.

The disease has a high financial toll as well. According to the National Institute of Health, lung cancer accounts for over $12 billion of total cancer costs around the United States. Premature death from lung cancer among adults aged 20 and older results in over $36 billion in lost productivity each year.

Indiana University health science professor Jon Macy explained that preventing people from smoking is the most effective way to prevent lung cancer.

“State and local governments should implement comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation programs,” Macy said. “Such programs would include increasing the cost of tobacco by raising taxes, adopting smoke-free air laws that prohibit smoking in all public places and workplaces, and providing access to proven tobacco cessation treatment.”

According to Chris Davis of the Lung Cancer Alliance, early detection is crucial in fighting the disease.

“Education and wellness programs as well as screening initiatives help combat lung cancer,” Davis said. “In fact, screening programs are already in place to help catch the disease earlier. We know that lung cancer screening can save lives when carried out responsibly and following current best practices.”

In the battle against lung cancer and smoking, a large disparity exists between states. For example, in terms of cigarette taxes, New York’s taxes, the highest in the nation, are 26 times higher than those in Missouri, the lowest.

“States vary considerably in their policies,” Macy said. “Some states still have tobacco taxes that are too low, some states still have smoke-free air laws that are too weak, and all states underfund their tobacco prevention and cessation programs.”

Despite the reduction in cigarette smoking across the country over the past 60 years, Macy warned that this progress was fragile.

“I think we are at a very important point in the fight against lung cancer,” Macy said. “If we adequately fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs, then we can continue this success and see further reductions in smoking-related diseases, including lung cancer.  If we don’t, then I don’t think we will see much progress.”

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