Cancer Risk
Lung Cancer
What to watch for:
• Persistent cough
• Sputum streaked with blood
• Chest pain
• Recurring pneumonia or bronchitis
Risk Factors:
Tobacco smoking: Tobacco smoking is thought to be responsible for 8 out of 10 cases of lung cancer. The longer a person has been smoking and the more packs per day smoked, the greater the risk.
Occupational or environmental exposure: Exposure to air pollution, radon, asbestos, certain industrial substances and some organic chemicals increase the risk of lung cancer.
Other diseases: Tuberculosis (TB) and some types of pneumonia can leave scars on the lung, this scarring may increase the risk of lung cancer.
Secondhand smoke exposure: Nonsmokers who breathe the smoke of others also increase their risk of lung cancer. The ACS states that non-smoking spouses of smokers, for example, have a 30% greater risk of developing lung cancer than do spouses of nonsmokers. Being exposed to secondhand smoke at work or at home increases your risk of getting lung cancer.
Personal and family history: You have a higher risk of developing lung cancer if you have already had lung cancer. Brothers, sisters, and children of people diagnosed with lung cancer may have a higher risk.
Early detection of lung cancer is difficult to identify and has not yet been proven to improve survival.
Fast Facts:
• In 2003, the American Cancer Society estimates there will be 4,400 new cases of lung cancer and 4,000 deaths in Indiana.
• Indiana ranks 16th highest overall in lung cancer mortality rates among 50 states.
• The incidence rate is declining significantly in men from 86.5 in 1984 to 69.8 in 1998.
• Since 1987, more women have died each year from lung cancer than breast cancer.
• Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, accounting for 68 to 78 percent of lung cancer deaths among females and 88 to 91 percent of lung cancer deaths among males.