CentraState - Healthy Directions

Fall 2014 Healthy Directions 4 Holiday 2014 Healthy Directions Three-Time Cancer Survivor's Advice: Risk Factors and Screening Harvey says his lung cancer was very likely due to his on-and-off history of smoking since he was a teenager. Dr. Balar says smoking is also a significant risk factor for kidney cancer. Dr. Balar recommends lung cancer screening for people with a history of heavy smoking. CentraState offers free, low-dose computed tomography (CT) imaging scans for people considered at high risk for developing lung cancer. The screening program, run in conjunction with Freehold Radiology Group since June 2013, offers state-of-the-art CT scans to patients who: • Are current or former smokers, ages 55 to 74. • Have smoked for 30 "pack years" or more. (A pack year is a pack a day for 30 years or 2 packs a day for 15 years, etc.) • Still smoke or have quit during the past 15 years. For more information, and to determine your eligibility, contact Sharon Lorfing, nurse practitioner and program coordinator, at 732-637-6365. H arvey Silverman joined dozens of other cancer survivors at CentraState Healthcare System's Cancer Survivors Day in June. The annual event is a chance for survivors to connect with each other and share their stories. Harvey says he offered the same advice to people he met at the gathering that he offers to anyone he meets who has been affected by cancer. "I always tell people to never, never give up—you've got to fight until the end," the 67-year-old Freehold man says. "If you fight, the end is going to be farther and farther away." Harvey knows from experience. The 67-year- old Freehold man has undergone three rounds of cancer treatment during the past four years. All three times, he has emerged feeling better and hopeful for his future. AN EARLY DIAGNOSIS In July 2010, Harvey was scheduled for knee surgery. As part of his routine pre-surgery testing, he had a chest X-ray. It showed a mass in his right lung. A biopsy confirmed he had lung cancer. "When they told me, I thought they were crazy because I felt fine. If I didn't need knee surgery, who knows how long it would have been before the cancer was picked up?" Harvey says. In August 2010, Harvey had surgery at another hospital to remove the cancerous section of his lung. After his surgery, Harvey appeared to be doing well until early in 2011, when he noticed a lump on his chest. Tests showed that his lung cancer had returned and spread to his chest wall. Following surgery to remove the second tumor, he then came to CentraState, where he underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments with Bhavesh Balar, MD, a board-certified hematologist and oncologist and on staff at CentraState. "He was fortunate that his lung cancer was caught early," Dr. Balar says. "If a lung cancer diagnosis is made after a patient presents with symptoms such as coughing up blood, it's usually going to be more advanced and the chances of a cure are lower." His therapy regime lasted from March to September 2011 – a period in which he continued to work full-time as a sales manager at an electronic parts distributor. He credits his wife, Helene, and his daughter, Elisa, for helping him get through a very difficult time. "After each chemotherapy session, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. All I wanted to do was sleep," he says. "I knew I was in good hands

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