Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States.
Smoking tobacco products causes almost nine of every 10 cases of lung cancer, and can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body.
Sadly, systemic issues such as healthcare coverage, have contributed to health disparities for those facing lung cancer. Black Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, as well as Native Americans who are diagnosed with lung cancer can face worse outcomes because they are less likely to be diagnosed early, less likely to receive surgical treatment and or any treatment at all.
Quitting smoking or not starting smoking is the most important thing people can do to prevent lung cancer. While most people who develop the disease have a history of smoking, non-smokers are also at risk.
Non-smokers get lung cancer too.
Some important facts: Between 10-20 percent of the people with lung cancer today have never inhaled a cigarette. Early signs of lung cancer are not always evident. Most people do not experience any pain or discomfort during the early stages of disease.
A screening for lung cancer could save your life. A low-dose CT scan helps detect signs of lung cancer, such as nodules or spots on the lung, early, when the disease is most treatable. It is never too late to quit!
Regardless of your smoking past, you can still reduce your risk of lung cancer and other conditions like heart disease by kicking the habit now. Just five years of smoke-free living can halve your risk of getting cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder. And in 10 years’ time, your risk of dying from cancer is half the risk of someone who continues to light up.
Should you be screened? Risk factors include: people ages 50-77; those who currently smoke or who have quit within the past 15 years and people who have smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a day for 20+ years.
Your best chance for survival is if your cancer is found at an early stage.
If you are a current or former smoker, your risk of developing lung cancer may be up to 10 to 25 times higher than someone who never smoked. But smoking alone is not the only risk factor.
There are other risk factors for developing lung cancer, including family history of lung cancer or exposure to hazardous chemicals. It is important to consider your exposure over time to chemicals and pollutants such as, cadmium, beryllium, silica, vinyl chloride, nickel and chromium compounds, coal products, diesel exhaust, asbestos, arsenic, radon gas, air pollution and chest radiation.
A CT scan is the only proven effective way to screen for lung cancer. As you know, lung cancer that is caught early is more likely to be treatable and cured. Take charge of your health: get screened!
Lung cancer screening is done using an imaging machine to produce a low-dose spiral (or helical) CT (Computed Tomography) scan of the chest. This scan uses a series of x-rays to show the shape, size and location of anything abnormal in the chest that might signal the need for follow up.
CT scans are very sensitive and can show both cancerous and non-cancerous areas.
To get a CT scan, the patient lies very still on a table, which is slowly moved through the CT scanner. An x-ray machine rotates around the person and takes pictures from many angles; a computer then combines the pictures into a very detailed image. The procedure takes less than 30 seconds.
There are no medications or injections needed and there is no need to stop eating or drinking before the exam. As long as their clothing does not contain metal, patients may not even have to change.
It is important, however, to be able to hold your breath for several seconds. That way, the lungs will not move during the scan and the images will be clear.
Call our Nurse Navigator Carol Lowe, RN, OCN, to discuss the benefits and risks associated with lung cancer screening at 805-346-3463. Our goal is to reduce death from lung cancer.
HAVE A QUESTION? This weekly column produced by Marian Regional Medical Center, Cancer Program invites you to submit your questions to “Your Cancer Answers” at the following email address: [email protected]