Circle of Hope

It’s no surprise that many people who smoke want to quit. Smoking-related illness is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. It results in 85% of lung cancer cases in the country and causes 480,000 deaths every year. More than 37.8 million Americans continue to smoke tobacco every day, and about 70% of those people say they want to stop. But quitting smoking is not easy. More than 90% of smokers who quit successfully needed help to get there.

We know how cancer impacts your lives. It has touched our lives too. We want you to know we are working hard every day to uncover clues and new strategies for treating lung cancer. Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death in the United States and in Utah. Unfortunately, because of the stigma associated with smoking and the relatively few survivors of lung cancer, funding for lung cancer research is relatively low. Yet we know that people of all ages can develop lung cancer, including non-smokers, and our discoveries in lung cancer can affect the treatment of many types of cancer.

Dusty never thought taking his wife, Amber, to urgent care would lead to a cancer diagnosis—an experience that changed his role and their lives.

Patients often tell me how a cancer diagnosis affects all aspects of their lives. It not only is a tumultuous, uncertain medical experience. It also disrupts life at home, work, school, and in the community. Cancer and its treatments can impair physical function and can even result in disability. I’m a physician who specializes in cancer rehabilitation medicine. The goal of this area of medicine is to restore and improve physical function.

As a veteran, Frank Luthi was familiar with the Department of Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System. The VA offers medical care to enrolled veterans at VA clinics and hospitals. This includes primary care visits and other health services. When Frank was diagnosed with cancer, he didn’t realize he could also get treated by Huntsman Cancer Institute physicians at the VA.

Leaders of cancer centers across the U.S. came together this week to recognize the contributions of the Jon M. and Karen Huntsman family, their exceptional leadership in advancing cancer research and care and in inspiring others to do the same.

Regina Rosenthal, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon practicing breast surgery at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute. She has more than twenty years of experience in the surgical treatment of breast cancer and is an advocate for the multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer, which helps tailor treatment plans to the goals and needs of individuals.

At HCI, patient satisfaction surveys help us better understand the needs and experiences of our patients so we can constantly improve our service.