Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, among both men and women. It claims more lives than colon, prostate and breast cancer combined. Since the mid-1990s, more than 150,000 Americans have died of the disease each year.

Yet most of these deaths could have been prevented. That's because smoking accounts for about 85 percent to 90 percent of lung cancer cases. Although your risk of cancer increases with the length of time and number of cigarettes you smoke, quitting smoking, even after many years, can greatly reduce your chances of developing the disease.

Protecting yourself from exposure to other leading causes of lung cancer, such as asbestos, radon and secondhand smoke, also decreases your risk. Prevention is especially important because lung cancer usually isn't discovered until it's at an advanced stage when the outlook for recovery is less positive.
Treatment for lung cancer depends on the type of cancer, how advanced it is and your overall health. In some cases, surgical removal of the tumor may be an option. In others, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of the two is likely to provide better results.

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Because lung cancer doesn't cause signs or symptoms in its earliest stages, it's often quite advanced by the time it's diagnosed. The most common warning sign is a cough, which occurs when a tumor irritates the lining of the airways or blocks the passage of air. In addition to a new cough, be alert for:

• "Smoker's cough" that worsens
• Coughing up blood, even a small amount
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• New onset of wheezing
• Repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis
• Hoarseness that lasts more than 2 week

Lung cancer also may cause fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss. If it has spread to other parts of your body (metastasized), you may have headaches or bone pain.

Although many of these symptoms might be attributed to other causes, talk to your doctor if you experience such problems. The earlier you discover and treat lung cancer, the better chance you have of lengthening your life and reducing symptoms.

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Smoking remains the greatest risk factor for lung cancer, accounting for as many as 9 out of every 10 cases of the disease. Your risk increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Your risk is also greater if you start smoking early in life — even if you later quit. Smoking filtered, low-tar or low-nicotine tobacco offers no additional protection because most people who smoke these cigarettes inhale more deeply, which also increases the risk. The good news is that it's never too late to quit smoking. Quitting — at any age — can lower your risk of developing lung cancer.

Other risk factors include:

• Sex - Current or former women smokers are at greater risk of lung cancer than are men who have smoked an equal amount. Although the exact reasons for this are unknown, some experts speculate that women may have a greater susceptibility to the cancer-causing substances found in tobacco. Others believe that estrogen may play a role. Women also are known to inhale more than men do, and they are less likely to quit.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke - Even if you don't smoke yourself, you're at high risk of lung cancer if you're exposed to the smoke of others. Daily exposure to secondhand smoke may increase your chances of developing lung cancer by as much as 30 percent. The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that secondhand smoke causes at least 3,000 lung cancer deaths a year.
• Exposure to radon gas - Second only to smoking as a cause of lung cancer, radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water that eventually becomes part of the air you breathe. Although unsafe levels of radon can accumulate in any building, the greatest exposure risk most people face is at home. The Surgeon General and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend that all homeowners check for the presence of radon. The best tests are those that take 3 to 6 months.
• Exposure to asbestos and other chemicals - Workplace exposure to asbestos and other cancer-causing agents — such as vinyl chloride, nickel chromates and coal products — also can increase your risk of developing lung cancer, especially if you're a smoker.
• Race - Lung cancer is much more prevalent among African Americans than it is among whites. African American men are two to four times more likely to develop lung cancer than are their white counterparts. They also develop the disease at an earlier age and are less likely to survive. Doctors don't think there's a genetic reason for this disparity. Rather, it is more likely to be related to inequities in health care and to environmental factors.

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The best known way to prevent lung cancer is not to smoke. If you already smoke, quitting now can reduce your risk — even if you've smoked for years.

These measures also can help prevent lung cancer:

• Avoid secondhand smoke - Breathing the smoke of others can be just as damaging as smoking is.
• Test for radon - Have the radon levels in your home checked, especially if you live in an area where radon is known to be a problem.
• Avoid carcinogens - Take precautions to protect yourself from exposure to toxic chemicals such as vinyl chloride, nickel chromates and coal products. Your risk of lung damage from these carcinogens increases if you also smoke.
• Eat a healthy diet - A number of studies have documented the relationship between food and cancer. In most cases, a diet high in fruits and vegetables appears to offer protection against the disease. For that reason, the American Cancer Society recommends consuming five or six servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. In the case of lung cancer, certain foods seem to be especially protective. For example, a large study in China, a country where smoking rates are high, found that certain chemicals in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and bok choy can lower the risk of lung cancer up to 36 percent. Researchers are quick to point out, however, that no vegetable can protect you from cancer if you continue to smoke. Other chemicals called flavonoids, which are found in all fruits and vegetables, also appear to help protect against lung cancer. Apples, berries and onions are richest in flavonoids.

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* Text Resources: The Mayo Clinic Staff