Pune, Jun 1: Currently, smoking cases are rising among corporate employees due to increasing work-related stress, hectic schedules, constant deadlines, pressure to achieve targets, and long working hours. So, smoking has become a stress-relieving habit among many corporate employees. Though those smoking breaks at the workplace can provide temporary relief from stress, they can silently damage the body and raise the risk of lung cancer. Hence, it is necessary to quit smoking, prevent lung cancer, and stay healthy.
A large number of people tend to smoke even after knowing that it is injurious to their health. The current corporate lifestyle is highly demanding. Employees are required to work under constant stress, attend back-to-back meetings, adhere to tight deadlines, and face target and performance pressure daily. To try to de-stress, many employees smoke during office breaks or after work hours. Nearly 40% of corporate employees aged 25-55 are either active smokers or smoke occasionally due to stress, and have a risk of lung cancer. This is because the harmful chemicals present in cigarettes damage the lungs and increase abnormal cell growth. Smoking slowly affects almost every organ in the body. Smoking can raise the chances of lung cancer,” said Dr. Siddhesh Tryambake, Medical Oncologist, TGH Onco-Life Cancer Center, Talegaon Dabhade.
Dr. Siddhesh Tryambake further added, “Smokers must watch out for the symptoms of lung cancer, such as persistent cough, chest pain, coughing up blood, breathlessness, sudden weight loss, fatigue, wheezing, and repeated chest infections. So, timely detection is key to saving the patient’s life. Lung cancer can be diagnosed through chest X-rays, CT scans, PET scans, bronchoscopy, and biopsy to confirm the presence and stage of cancer. If treatment is delayed, the cancer can spread to the brain, bones, liver, or other organs, leading to severe breathing difficulty, chronic pain, weight loss, and reduced survival chances. The line of treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Hence, smoking is a preventable cause of lung cancer. So, it is the need of the hour to quit smoking and prevent lung cancer.
“There is approximately a 30% surge in corporate employees aged 25-55 with smoking-related health concerns. In a month, around 3 out of 10 patients who visit me tend to smoke and remain at risk of lung cancer due to the harmful chemicals present in cigarettes. Make sure to report symptoms such as cough, breathlessness, chest discomfort, fatigue, wheezing, or repeated respiratory infections to the doctor instead of linking them to stress. Delaying treatment can worsen your condition and lead to lung cancer progression. Apart from lung cancer, smoking can also lead to heart attack, high blood pressure, chest pain, heart failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumonia, and kidney disease. It is time to focus on the overall well-being, quit smoking, ”
Dr Ram Patil, Head and Neck Onco Surgeon, Apollo Spectra Hospital Pune. Dr Ram Patil further added,
“Instead of taking those smoking breaks when you feel stressed, try to go for short walks, stretch, and take deep breaths. Opt for a smoking cessation program that involves quitting tobacco with the help of counselling, nicotine replacement therapy, medications, lifestyle modifications like diet and exercise, and emotional support to tame cravings and prevent relapse. Employees who are stressed can also join a support group, seek motivation from others who were in similar situations and have quit smoking.”