Smoking And Lung Cancer
Smoking increases your risk of developing lung cancer. Twist the statistics any way you like - there's no getting away from it. 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of lung cancer deaths in women are linked to smoking. Lung cancer is not the only cancer linked to smoking, either. Research has shown a strong link between smoking and cancer of the mouth, the larynx, the pharynx, the esophagus, the bladder, the stomach and the kidneys. Cancer was the first disease to be linked to smoking, and lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.
Some other statistics related to lung cancer include:
Men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop cancer than men who don't.
Women who smoke are 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers
Smoking low tar, low nicotine or 'light' cigarettes does not decrease the risk of developing lung cancer. People tend to adjust their smoking style to increase the amount of tar and nicotine taken in through the lungs.
There are over 4000 chemicals in burning cigarette smoke. At least 60 of those are known carcinogens.
Carcinogens in cigarette smoke damage the DNA in cells that controls their growth. Unrestrained growth and replication of cells is the hallmark of malignant cancer cells.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for about 30% of all cancer deaths annually.
Cigarette smoking causes 87% of lung cancer deaths.
About 5% of all newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer are caused by secondhand smoke.
Exposure to secondhand smoke, or passive smoking causes about 3000 lung cancer deaths per year.
People who quit smoking before the age of 35 can reduce their risks of developing lung cancer by 90%/
People who quit smoking before the age of 50 substantially reduce their risk of developing lung cancer.
7 of 8 people diagnosed with lung cancer will not be alive at five years after diagnosis.
Lung cancer is the #9 cause of death in the United States.
The more cigarettes you smoke, the more you increase your risk of developing lung cancer.
As the number of smokers has decreased in the United States, the incidence of lung cancer has also decreased.
There are those that will try to tell you that the medical establishment is lying to you. They will quibble that it is not proven that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, that the statistics have been twisted to make the case against cigarette smoking stronger and worse than it actually is.
To some extent, those things are true. Lung cancer is caused by a variety of things, including a genetic predisposition. There are a lot of things that doctors and researchers don't yet understand - why some people can smoke for years and NOT develop lung cancer, while others who have never smoked do, for instance. There is one thing that is certain - smoking DOES increase your risk of developing lung cancer. And giving it up WILL decrease your risk of developing lung cancer by several percentage points per year.
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.