A new study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) reports nearly 123,000 cancer deaths, or close to 30 percent of all cancer deaths, were from cigarette smoking in the United States in 2019, leading to more than two million Person-Years of Lost Life (PYLL) and nearly $21 billion in annual lost earnings. These losses were disproportionately higher in states with weaker tobacco control policies in the South and Midwest. The results were published in the International Journal of Cancer.

“Our study provides further evidence that smoking continues to be a leading cause of cancer-related death and to have a huge impact on the economy across the U.S.,” said Dr. Farhad Islami, senior scientific director, cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study. “We must continue to help individuals to quit using tobacco, prevent anyone from starting, and work with elected officials at all levels of government for broad and equitable implementation of proven tobacco control interventions.”

For the study, the authors estimated the proportions and numbers of cigarette smoking-attributable cancer deaths and associated PYLL and lost earnings among individuals, aged 25-79 years, in 2019 in the U.S. nationally and by state. As smoking-attributable cancer deaths occur more commonly in individuals with lower socioeconomic status, they used education-specific data for each state to account for variations in employment status, wages, and smoking-attributable mortality by socioeconomic status. Cancers associated with cigarette smoking that were evaluated in this study included cancers of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, colorectum, liver and intrahepatic bile duct, pancreas, larynx, lung and bronchus, cervix, kidney and renal pelvis, urinary bladder, and acute myeloid leukemia.

The study results showed death rates were highest in the 13 states with generally weaker tobacco control policies and higher cigarette smoking prevalence. These states include Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Also, the annual PYLL rate for these states was 46.8% higher than in other states and the District of Columbia (1,431 per 100,000 population compared to 975 per 100,000). In addition, the lost earnings rate for these states was 44% higher ($11.2 million per 100,000 population compared to $7.8 million per 100,000) than in other states and the District of Columbia.

The study also found that if PYLL and lost earning rates in Utah (the state with the lowest PYLL rate) had been achieved by all states, more than half of the estimated total PYLL and lost earnings in 2019 nationally would have been avoided. The proportion of avoidable PYLL and lost earnings by state exceeded 50% in 39 states and the District of Columbia for PYLL and in 30 states for lost earnings.

“Increasing the price of cigarettes through excise taxes is the single most effective policy for reducing smoking. In many states, state tobacco excise tax rates remain low, particularly in the states with the highest smoking rates,” said Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president, surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society, and senior author of the study. “Eliminating existing gaps in Medicaid and private insurance coverage of cessation services is an important intervention to reduce smoking-related cancers. This would also provide access to all types of counseling and all medications approved by the FDA without cost-sharing to the patient.”

“This report further demonstrates just how critical reducing tobacco use is to ending suffering and death from cancer,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. “To end the scourge of tobacco on this country, reduce the health disparities it inflicts, and decrease tobacco-related diseases like cancer, we need local, state, and federal lawmakers to pass proven tobacco control policies, including regular and significant tobacco tax increases, comprehensive statewide smoke-free laws, adequate funding for state tobacco prevention and cessation programs and ensure all Medicaid enrollees have access to comprehensive tobacco cessation services including all three types of counseling and all FDA-approved medications. We have the tools to get this done, we just need lawmakers to act.”

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer (both small cell and non-small cell) is the second most common cancer in both men and women, and is by far the leading cause of cancer death, accounting for almost a quarter of all cancer deaths. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.

Low-dose CT lung cancer screenings – offered at Tulane Lakeside and Tulane Medical Center – can help detect lung cancers at their earliest stages, when they are most treatable.

"The earlier you find the cancer, the better the prognosis," said Mark Sides, MD, PhD, head of Tulane's Thoracic Oncology Program. "This screening can save your life. Five-year survival rates go down dramatically with each stage of the disease. If we can catch stage 1 – when lung cancer is typically asymptomatic – then it's a surgical issue. The surgeon goes in, removes the tumor and the patient is cured."

Karen T. Stall knows the anxiety and stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. A survivor of breast cancer, Stall made it her mission to help other patients going through that same experience. Her foundation, the Karen T. Stall Research and Breast Institute, partners with healthcare facilities across the Gulf South including Tulane Doctors Breast Cancer Center. The foundation recently donated 113 robes to make Tulane patients feel more comfortable and at ease.

The plush waffle robes are available at Tulane Doctors-Surgical Oncology Northshore Clinic and Tulane Lakeside Hospital. Being surrounded in comfort while in the clinic has had a significant impact on how patients feel when they are receiving treatments, and some have even commented that they feel relaxed.

"I am so grateful we have these robes," said Caroline Graham, PA-C, an instructor of surgery in the Division of Oncologic Surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine. "Many clinic gowns don't provide full coverage, and these robes are very soft and provide full closure. It's similar to being at a spa or a robe they would wear at home."

Tulane Doctors Breast Cancer Center offers state-of-the-art care for overall breast health. Tulane offers 3D Tomosynthesis imaging, which has become the gold standard for breast cancer screening because it can detect cancer earlier than traditional 2D screening. The Karen T. Stall Research and Breast Institute is focused on making sure all patients have access to this better imaging. You can donate to their mission here.

After a two-year hiatus, the Ladies Leukemia League (LLL) will once again usher in the Holiday Season with their annual Fête de Noël Luncheon on Tuesday, December 13, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

The Fête, which is the LLL's only annual fundraiser, includes a parade of prizes, an auction, a wine pull, raffles, door prizes and a salute to leukemia and lymphoma survivors who are in remission. The event is also known for its festive New York-style runway fashion show, sponsored by Dillard's.

LLL is an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to the purpose of raising funds for leukemia research in the Gulf South region of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Founded in 1970, the organization has raised over $4.5 million, which they have distributed in the form of research grants to scientists working in leukemia and lymphoma research, or related fields. Tulane researchers Hua Lu, MD, PhD; Matthew Burow, PhD; and Zhen Lin, MD, PhD, (pictured above) are current recipients of LLL funding.

To purchase a Fête ticket or table, to bid on the silent auction or to purchase raffle tickets go to http://bidpal.net/fetedenoel. For more information, please email Reservations Chair Michele Danos at mmd@viscom.net or call her at 504-458-4288.

To learn more about the Ladies Leukemia League, visit www.ladiesleukemialeague.org.

The 11th Annual Blue Ribbon Soirée, held October 20 at the Baton Rouge Renaissance Hotel, raised a record $170,000, propelling the organization to a cumulative $1.25 million raised for prostate cancer research and awareness since its inception.

Soirée was started in 2011 by the friends and families of Drs. Larry Ferachi and Joel Nasca, who sadly lost their battles with prostate cancer. "We founded the Blue Ribbon Soirée to honor these two incredible men," said Ricky Lato, co-chair and co-founder of the organization. "Over the last 11 years, with the support of the community and the hard work of so many committee members, the event has raised over a million dollars for research and awareness. Never did we imagine we'd hit these heights. Nor did we fully understand how our decision to pursue this venture would become one of the most rewarding and fulfilling parts of our lives."

Funds raised through the event benefit Dr. Oliver Sartor's Prostate Cancer Research Program here at Tulane Cancer Center. Drs. Ferachi and Nasca conducted extensive research and traveled the country participating in clinical trials after their diagnoses. They were most impressed with Dr. Sartor, and the Soiree planning committee feels it is important to continue their quest to support Dr. Sartor's research.

"It is difficult to adequately express my gratitude for the support provided by the Blue Ribbon Soirée or the importance of this effort to my team's research progress," said Dr. Sartor. "To have the commitment and resolve of such a tremendously motivated and generous group of volunteers and donors behind us is simply invaluable to our efforts. We know you are with us every step of the way, and that level of encouragement pushes us forward and sharpens our focus each and every day."

"We know Larry and Joel would be proud of what has been accomplished in their names," said Lato.

For more information on the Blue Ribbon Soirée, visit www.blueribbonsoiree.org.

The New Orleans City Council recently hosted its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day, where local survivors, including those previously honored by the grassroots fundraising organization Krewe de Pink at their 2022 Death by Chocolate Not Breast Cancer event, were presented with proclamations from the city. Krewe de Pink honorees in attendance included Chef Grace Landry; Lena Stewart, special projects coordinator for Councilmember Oliver Thomas; Maria Cordoro Stambaugh; and Caitrin Gladow. Michele Goldfarb attended on behalf of Dianne Honore, who was displaying her incredible Mardi Gras Indian costumes at an exhibit in Paris, and Sweet Survivor Chontel Carter was out of town. Carol Osborne, president emeritus of Krewe de Pink, and Matthew Burow, PhD (third from right), whose breast cancer research lab here at Tulane benefits from funds raised by the organization, also joined the festivities.