Lung Cancer Not Just a Smoker’s Problem

February 4 is World Cancer Day, which makes this an ideal time to discuss smoking and lung cancer. Globally, lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death, with estimates from the World Health Organization (“WHO”) showing that roughly 90% of lung cancer cases can be prevented by eliminating the use of tobacco.

Individuals who smoke have a high risk of developing this disease, with studies also linking smokeless tobacco to lung cancer. Did you know, however, that lung cancer can also develop in individuals who don’t use tobacco?

Dr. Aaron Mansfield, an oncologist who specializes in lung cancer, states that while the use of tobacco is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer development, there exists other risk factors that increase an individual’s risk of cancer of the lungs. Those factors include second-hand smoke, a family history of cancer of the lungs and being exposed to asbestos, radon gas and other carcinogens.

Symptoms of lung cancer, including chest pain and shortness of breath, may sometimes be mistaken for pneumonia. Mansfield explained that most of his patients had been diagnosed with pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics that didn’t benefit them before ending up at an oncologist. Other symptoms of lung cancer include headaches, bone pain, loss of weight, coughing up blood and a persistent cough.

A biopsy is usually needed to obtain a lung cancer diagnosis, with CT or ultrasound imaging being used to guide a needle’s placement in order to obtain an accurate tissue sample.

Dr. Karen Swanson, a critical care specialist and pulmonologist, stated that the key to a successful outcome was to detect lung cancer early because this allows the disease to be treated with ablation and radiation or removed through an operation.

Unfortunately, lung cancer symptoms rarely appear until the disease has spread to other organs in the body. Swanson explained that nearly 80% of the time, lung cancer had metastasized by the time an individual was diagnosed with the disease, noting that a tumor growing in a person’s lungs wasn’t something that the body could feel or sense, which made it hard for the tumor to be discovered while it was still in its early stages.

Swanson then suggested that individuals who have a history of smoking should discuss lung cancer screening with their primary care providers. It is recommended that individuals who have a high risk of developing lung cancer be screened annually with a low-dose CT scan.

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