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Show CANCER Answeriline American Cancer Society A regular feature, prepared by the American Cancer Society, to help save your life from cancer. A postal worker asks: "What is 'Make Today Count'?" ANSWE Rline: "Make Today Count, Inc." is a natignal organization for advanced cancer patients and their families which was formed in 1974 by Orville E. Kelly, a journalist, a year after he discovered that he had cancer. The group, which has a number of local chapters throughout the country (some of which work with American Cancer Society units in the community) offers emotional bolstering and the chance to share problems among people confronted con-fronted by cancer. Kelly himself travels widely and speaks to the public frequently frequent-ly about his own emotional reaction to cancer and the importance of living to the fullest, regardless of how long one has to live. He is a spokesman for more honesty when dealing with patients. He believes that many patients don't realize that medicine can often extend their lives even if they cannot be cured. He also has called public attention to the sellers of unproven remedies who prey on frightened cancer patients and their families. A housewife writes: "Several years ago my cancer was treated by a physician called a therapeutic radiologist and now I know someone who is being treated by a radiation radia-tion oncologist. Are they the same? ANSWERIine: Yes. The terms therapeutic radiologist, radiotherapist, radiation oncologist on-cologist and radiation therapist thera-pist all have the same meaning: mean-ing: a physician who has received specific training in therapeutic radiology; one who is certified by a recognized recog-nized medical specialty board, and usually limits his or her practice to radiation therapy. The radiation oncologist on-cologist has a particular interest in cancer, although the others also treat the disease. A man in his 40's explains: "I am a bartender and my work puts me right in the middle of a lot of cigarette smoke. Is there anything that I can do to protect myself?" ANSWERIine: First, it is important for you to be a non-smoker because if you smoke you will compound the harmful effect of inhaling your customer's tobacco smoke. Second, try to make sure that your work area is well ventilated. A study done at the University of Cincinnati Cincin-nati showed that bartenders inhale the equivalent of 36 cigarettes during an eight-hour eight-hour shift if they work in a stuffy area but that number drops to the equivalent of 12 cigarettes If the area has a good air flow. |