The numbers are in and the results are grim – In 2001, about 58,200 Ohioans will be diagnosed with cancer, 159 new cases each day.

Thursday, August 09, 2001

The numbers are in and the results are grim – In 2001, about 58,200 Ohioans will be diagnosed with cancer, 159 new cases each day.

Research from the American Cancer Society and the Ohio Department of Health shows 4,583,000 Ohioans living now will eventually be diagnosed with some form of cancer. The cancer researching agencies conclude that even if incidence rates remains the same, the number of new cancer cases will increase over the years due to Ohio’s aging population.

"Ohio has a slightly higher cancer death rate than that of the United States," the agencies noted in a booklet recently published.

Cancer of the lungs and bronchial passages leads the pack among the most common form of cancer deaths in the state. Thirty-four percent of cancer deaths in men will stem from lung and bronchus cancer and for women, 24 percent.

Smoking is attributed for the high rate of lung cancer.

"Lung cancer, along with other cancers directly related to smoking, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus and larynx cancers, make up more than one-third of all cancer deaths," the agencies published.

For Lawrence County, between 1994 and 1998, almost 63 percent of the total 802 cancer related deaths was related to lung and bronchus cancer.

That means 250 people died in the four-year period due to cancer of the lungs. The next highest death rate was colon and rectum cancer, with 98 deaths, or 23 percent of cancer deaths in the county.

The number of lung cancer related death mirrors the smoking trend in the state. Research shows about 28 percent of Ohioans smoke, compared to the national average of 23 percent.

Men continue to smoke more than women, but for the first time ever, the rate of female high school students who smoke rose higher than the number of male high school students smoking.

In order to curtail the disturbing trend, the American Cancer Society recommends people to "avoid tobacco products in all forms" and for smokers to "stop smoking" immediately.