By Damian Phillips, The Exponent Telegram
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — To mark the American Cancer Society’s 48th annual Great American Smokeout, lung cancer specialists at WVU Medicine United Hospital Center are urging people to quit smoking.
The doctors hope to reduce the number of West Virginians who die each year from smoking-related disease. Currently, smoking’s annual kill count in the Mountain State is more than 4,300.
“West Virginia has the combination of coal mining and smoking, which presents a significant risk factor for lung cancer,” said Dr. Adam Hansen, a thoracic surgeon.
Risk factors for nonsmokers throughout the state are also elevated due to the presence of heavy metals, radon, asbestos and other carcinogens from industry, Hansen said. But more than 80% of lung cancer detected occurs in smokers.
“With the high risk we all have just by being in West Virginia, it makes so much sense to just stop. Why add that extra risk that we don’t need? We might not be able to change where we work, but (smoking) is a modifiable risk factor, and it will drop your risk immensely,” Hansen said.
