Lung Cancer Awareness Month

HealthWatch for November 2006
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Lung Cancer: The Leading Cause of Cancer Deaths in Men and Women

With major on-going awareness campaigns about breast cancer, it is a surprise to many that more women die from lung cancer than from breast cancer. According to University Hospitals of Cleveland, “With an estimated 174,470 new cases in the year 2006, lung cancer accounts for 12% of all new cancer diagnoses and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. Cigarette smoking is the greatest risk factor for lung cancer. The decline in use of cigarettes over the past 30 years has lead to a reduction in the incidence of lung cancer in men.”

Lung cancer is a disease where the cells of lung tissues grow drastically to form tumors. A tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue which results from uncontrollable cells that divide more than normally or they do not die when they should. Lung cancer is uncommon among young children and teenagers. This deadly disease is usually found in people older than the age of fifty.

Many people do not realize there are two kinds of lung cancer, primary and secondary. Primary lung cancer starts in the lungs, whereas secondary lung cancer starts in another area in the body and then the cancer cells spread to the lungs to start a new infection.

Causes of Lung Cancer:

Cigarette smoke, which contains more than 4000 chemicals.
Passive smoking, or sidestream smoke, presents another risk for lung cancer. A person living with a smoker has twice the risk of lung cancer of someone not regularly exposed to smoke.
Air pollution from motor vehicles, factories, and other sources.
Lung diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A person with COPD has a 4-6 times greater risk of lung cancer even when the effect of cigarette smoking is excluded.
Radon exposure. Radon is a by-product of naturally occurring radium, which is a product of uranium. Radon is present in indoor and outdoor air.
Certain occupations where exposure to arsenic, chromium, nickel, aromatic hydrocarbons, and ethers.

Resource: eMedicine

State and Local Resources:

Akron General Medical Center: Guidance for Ruling Out Lung Cancer
The Cleveland Clinic: Lung Cancer Risk Factors
Netwellness: Lung Cancer Support Groups & Classes
North East Ohio Health Services: Care for Lung Cancer
Ohio Department of Health: Prevention and Early Detection
University Hospitals: Treatment Programs

National Resources:

American Lung Association: Living with Lung Disease
American Cancer Society: News You Can Use
American Legacy Foundation: Code Blue for Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer Alliance: Support and Resources
ABC News: Video-Lung Cancer Breakthrough
National Cancer Institute: Cancer Literature and Statistics