It's never too late to make an investment in your future and the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to start. Make a resolution to improve your health and the health of those around you.

If you smoke-STOP.

Statistic after statistic shows that cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer- approximately 90 percent of all lung cancer cases are thought to be caused by smoking. Other cancers associated with smoking include esophageal, laryngeal, pharynx, oral cavity, pancreatic, bladder, kidney, cervical, leukemia, and stomach.

Chewing tobacco or smokeless tobacco users increase their risk for cancer, especially oral cancers-cancer of the lip, tongue, cheeks, gums, and the fl oor and roof of the mouth.

And don't forget environmental tobacco smoke, better known as second-hand smoke. The American Cancer Society estimates that second-hand smoke is responsible for 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year and 53,000 or more cardiovascular-related deaths each year.

Start stopping

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and quitting can be very difficult.

It’s not easy, but you can do it. More than 44.7 million people have already quit smoking – and haven’t started again. Quitting gives you a sense of accomplishment by triumphing over a powerful addiction to tobacco.

• The UI Hospitals and Clinics Stop Smoking Clinic offers assistance to help you stop smoking, including behavioral counseling to break the psychological dependence on cigarettes. American Lung Association-trained nurses lead the smoking cessation counseling sessions. The Clinic stresses strong, personal motivation to quit and uses research validated stop smoking methods
  
• Quitline Iowa is a toll-free, statewide smoking cessation telephone counseling hotline. Trained counselors provide callers with information about the health consequences of tobacco use, assistance in making an individualized quit plan, and ongoing support through optional follow-up calls. The Quitline is staffed from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Don’t be a leader

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death of men and women in the U.S.

About 20 percent of all lung cancers are of the small cell type. Although the cancer cells are small, they can multiply quickly and form large tumors that can spread to the lymph nodes and to other organs such as the brain, the liver, and the bones. This kind of cancer is almost always caused by smoking.

The other 80 percent of lung cancers are of the nonsmall cell type. The cells in the two sub-types differ in size and chemical make-up.

• Squamous cell carcinoma is usually linked to a history of smoking. It tends to be found centrally, near a bronchus
• Adenocarcinoma is usually found in the outer region of the lung
• Large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma can appear in any part of the lung and tends to grow and spread quickly, resulting in a poor outlook for the patient

Listed above are several Web sites that offer additional information on this topic. University of Iowa Health Care does not sponsor or endorse these sites, or guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on these sites. These links are here for general information only, and should not be used for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions, please contact UI Health Access.

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