Lung Cancer - Go Ahead and Smoke!
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INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is a disease of out of control cell growth in tissues of the lungs. It is one of the most common cancers in the US, accounting for about 15 % of all cases, or 170,000 new cases per year. It leads the pack as the worst cancer killer in America, taking more lives each year than breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the US and is responsible for as many deaths as breast and all gynecological cancers combined.
SMOKING: Smoking, radon, and second hand smoke are the primary causes. Smoking causes an estimated 160,000* deaths in the US. Smoking leads to 85 % to 90 % of all lung cancers.
Smoking affects non-smokers by exposing them to second hand smoke. If a person stops smoking, this chance steadily decreases as damage to the lungs is repaired and contaminant particles are gradually removed.
RADON GAS: A colorless and odorless gas generated by the breakdown of radioactive radium, which in turn is the decay product of uranium, found in the earth’s crust.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. It accounts for 15,000 to 22,000 deaths each year in the United States — 12 percent of all lung cancer deaths are linked to radon.
RISK FACTORS: Include smoking cigarettes or cigars, in the present or in the past. Smoking does not account for all cases, but the role of passive smoking is increasingly being recognized as a risk factor, leading to policy interventions to diminish undesired exposure of non-smokers to others’ tobacco smoke.
A smoker who is also exposed to radon has a much higher risk. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure may also increase that risk.
SYMPTOMS: May include Persistant cough, Hoarseness, Coughing up blood, Loss of Weight and Appetite, Shortness of breath, Fever without a known reason, Wheezing, Repeating bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia and Chest pain.
Approximately 10% of people do not have symptoms at diagnosis; these cancers are incidentally found on regular chest x-rays. In fact, lung cancer can spread outside the lungs with no symptoms at all.
TREATMENT: Treatment depends on the cancer’s specific cell type, how far it has metastasize (spread), and the patient’s performance status. It also depends on the stage, or how far along it is.
Treatment choices should be discussed with Your doctor. It may include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. In recent years, various molecular targeted therapies have been developed as treatments.
CONCLUSION: Lung cancer is the second most commonly occurring form of cancer in most western countries, and it is the leading cancer-related cause of death. It is the most common cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, accounting for nearly a third of cancer deaths annually in the United States.
It has become the subject of an enormous amount of research. Although the number of men dying from it is declining in western countries, it is actually increasing for women due to the increasing habit of smoking by this group. We already know that the best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit (or never start) the habit. Three to five years after quitting, the risk of getting the disease is cut in half.
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Your article about lung cancer was very informative. I also applaud the tone; too often, intentionally or not, health care professionals serve to perpetuate the stigma associated with lung cancer, namely that only smokers get it and therefore you deserve what you get.
It is important to note that today the majority of those being diagnosed with lung cancer are either non smokers or people who stopped as long as 20 and 30 years ago; the sooner someone stops smoking the better however your risk for lung cancer never really goes away.
It is also important to recognize that disparities still exist when it comes to dollars for lung cancer research visa vi other organ specific cancers. I would challenge your statement that “it has become the subject of enormous amounts of research”. I only wish it were true.
In my opinion what we need to do to make your statement a fact is more articles, greater public awareness and increased advocacy