Lung Cancer - Probabilities
Lung cancer causes up to 30% of all cancer related deaths, and it is the 2nd leading cause of death among both men and women in western society.
85% of all lung cancers are caused by a person's smoking habit or just by breathing in the second-hand smoke of others.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, This causes an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
In the USA lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer among African-Americans, Caucasians, Asians and Hispanic males.
African-Americans experience the highest incidence of lung cancer and the highest death rate. (Smoking tends to be a cultural thing).
The five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 15%, compared to 87% for breast cancer, 98% for prostate cancer, and 62% for colon cancer.
In an average year in the USA, lung cancer will kill more people than
breast cancer,
kidney cancer,
colon cancer prostate cancer,
liver cancer,
skin cancer (melanoma) combined.
On average in the USA:
Lung cancer will kill three times as many men per year as prostate cancer.
Lung cancer will kill nearly twice as many women per year as breast.
Over 50% of new lung cancer cases will be diagnosed at a very late stage in the disease - Stage IIIb or IV - and, because of the advanced spread of the disease, only 5% of these people will live for 5 or more years.
"After you stop smoking, your lungs will return to normal in 10 years" is a commonly repeated myth. However your lungs never return to normal and most former smokers remain at high risk levels. Their chances do improve though when they stop smoking.
Existing smokers account for about 35-40% of new lung cancer cases each year.
Former smokers account for about 50% of new lung cancer cases each year.
Never smokers account for about 10-15% of new lung cancer cases each year, and this is probably due to passive smoking.
Male smokers are 23 times more likely to die of lung cancer than men who have never smoked. Male former smokers are 9 times more likely to die of lung cancer than never smokers.
Female smokers are 13 times more likely to die of lung cancer than women who have never smoked. Female former smokers are 5 times as likely to die of lung cancer than women who have never smoked.
Britain has the highest incidence of lung cancer, while Nigeria has the lowest incidence. In Britain, you are 300 times more likely to develop lung cancer than in Nigeria.
Age is another risk factor for lung cancer. The likelihood of developing lung cancer increases with age. Very few people under 40 years of age have lung cancer, in fact, only 1 in 3,000 people aged under 40 have lung cancer. In the 40-59 age group, approximately 1 in 100 people have lung cancer. Whilst in the 60 and over age group, 1 in 20 people have lung cancer.
Researchers around the world continue to study the causes of lung and other cancers and to search for ways to prevent or cure them. The greatest way of preventing lung cancer and other serious health related complications is to give up smoking, or better yet, never start smoking in the first place.
The sooner a person stops smoking the better their prospects for a healthy future. Even if someone has been smoking for many years, it's never too late to benefit from quitting.
Lung Cancer - Overview
Lung Cancer is a type of cancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. Many lung cancers begin in the bronchi though others can start in other parts of the lungs. Lung cancer also has a tendency to form in the glands below the bronchi.
Lung Cancer - Probabilities
Lung cancer causes up to 30% of all cancer related deaths, and it is the 2nd leading cause of death among both men and women in western society. 85% of all lung cancers are caused by a person's smoking habit or just by breathing in the second-hand smoke of others.
Lung Cancer - Screening
At this moment in time, there is no particularly useful single test that can be considered 100% reliable for the early detection of lung cancer. Unfortunately unless someone is undergoing a health screen for something completely unrelated, lung cancer is very often only discovered in the later stages of the disease when it is often too late to do anything but offer palliative treatment.
Lung Cancer - Symptoms
The most common indicators and symptoms of lung cancer include the following: Fatigue Shortness of breath and wheezing (dyspnoea) A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis Constant chest pain Coughing up blood (bloody sputum) (haemoptysis) Swelling of the neck and face Fever Loss of appetite and Weight loss (anorexia) Hoarse voice
Lung Cancer Treatment Options - Radiation
In many cases of lung cancer, surgery is not an option. This may be because of the advanced stage of the cancer, the location of the tumor or tumors, or because of the overall general health of the patient. In those cases, the oncologist may suggest radiation therapy to treat lung cancer. Even if surgery is an option, the doctor may suggest irradiation either before therapy to shrink the tumor or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Lung Cancer - Trends by Ethnicity, Sex and Race
In the USA and many other western countries, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Lung cancer has been found to be the leading cancer killer among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanic males.