Breathe in. Breathe out. The average person performs this action more than 20,000 times a day, but gives it little thought. When the lungs are defective, however, people fight for that breath. Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadly conditions that impact the lungs.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. In females it is exceeded in number only by breast cancer; in males, prostate cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 224,210 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed in 2014.
Lung cancer might come in second in incidence, but it is the leading cause of cancer deaths for everyone. It is estimated that more than 159,000 people will die from lung cancer in 2014. It accounts for 27 percent of all cancer deaths.
Survival rates vary by the stage of the disease at diagnosis. If the cancer is caught in the early stages, which occurs in only 15 percent of the cases, the 5-year survival rate is 54 percent. If it has metastasized, or spread, survival plummets to 4 percent, according to recent NCI data.
Lung cancer occurs most frequently in people between the ages of 65 and 74. The incidence and death rates are higher in black men and white women. The cost to treat the disease was estimated at $12 billion in 2011.
Typical symptoms of lung cancer are persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, fatigue and weight loss with no known cause. These symptoms can occur with other illnesses, but if persistent, they should be checked out.
Most disturbing is that lung cancer is largely preventable. Roughly 90 percent of all cases are attributed to smoking tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars and pipes. As reported by the American Lung Association, when compared to those who have never smoked, men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer and women are 13 times more likely. As of 2012, 18 percent of all adults in this country were current cigarette smokers.
You don’t have to smoke to be impacted. Exposure to second-hand smoke causes an estimated 7,400 lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers every year. The American Association for Cancer Research recently published a report that even brief exposure to cancer-causing smoke toxins can be harmful to nonsmokers. The researchers found that just one hour in the confined space of vehicles resulted in an intake level of these toxins that exceeded acceptable levels defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Five states ban smoking in cars when children are present.
New research indicates that even third-hand smoke — residual nicotine and other chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke — can be dangerous, especially to children.
The second leading cause of lung cancer is exposure to radon, an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas produced by the decay of uranium in soil and water. Radon is pervasive in the air, but its existence indoors is what causes the problem. Radon seeps up from the soil and enters homes through the foundation, cracks in the walls or other small openings. The EPA estimates that 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. are radon-related. For additional information on testing your home for radon, visit www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#howdoes.
The picture of lung cancer is now not as bleak as it once was largely due to the results of the National Lung Screening Trial funded by the National Cancer Institute. The study found that people at risk of lung cancer — heavy current and former smokers between the ages of 55 and 74 — who received a newer type of CT scan called low-dose spiral CT had a 20 percent lower risk of dying from lung cancer than participants who received standard chest X-rays. The scan was able to detect early lung cancers and provide more detailed pictures than the X-ray.
As a result of the study several professional organizations including the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association recommend the scan for those with no prior history of lung cancer who meet all of the following criteria:
- Current or former smokers,
- Between the ages of 55 to 74 years, and
- Have a smoking history of at least a pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years.
Although most health insurance plans do not cover the procedure, this may soon change. Medicare is considering coverage. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a yearly screening for those eligible. Free screenings that are mandated by the Affordable Care Act are based on recommendations by the Task Force. The screening, therefore, may become a required test at no expense to the consumer.
There is a way, however, to minimize the surgery, chemotherapy and radiation used to treat lung cancer. You can even avoid the screenings. If you smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start.
