| Lung cancer is an often silent and deadly killer. It is | | | | 3-thousand lung cancer deaths a year attributable |
| the number one disease killing Americans. And | | | | to second-hand smoke. |
| more people die from this type of cancer than | | | | 4. Exposure to radon - an invisible, tasteless, |
| any other kind of cancer; breast, prostate, colon, | | | | radioactive gas that occurs naturally in earth and |
| liver, kidney and melanoma, combined. So far, this | | | | rocks. This is the second leading cause in the |
| year, there are already 215 thousand new cases. | | | | United States. |
| One of the big problems with this disease is that | | | | 5. Environmental carcinogens - including arsenic, |
| in most cases it is not diagnosed at their earliest, | | | | asbestos, uranium, and diesel fuel. |
| most curable stage. Most people are diagnosed so | | | | 6. Radiation therapy to the chest - if you have |
| late that it's of no help to the patient, who often | | | | too many chest X-rays when you have a cough |
| dies from it within a year. | | | | or are sick, they can add up. |
| The Lung Cancer Alliance tells us that it begins in | | | | 7. Previous lung diseases like emphysema, chronic |
| the tissues of the lungs, most usually in the cells | | | | obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or |
| lining or the air passages and that the two main | | | | tuberculosis can leave scars on the lungs. |
| types are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell | | | | 8. Genetics or a family history of lung cancer - |
| lung cancer. | | | | new U.S. research reveals that adults who are |
| There are several factors believed to lead to this | | | | biologically related to someone who had lung |
| type of cancer: | | | | cancer, especially if it was diagnosed before age |
| 1. Increasing age - it doesn't strike as frequently in | | | | 50, have an increased risk. |
| people under age 40. The numbers are slightly | | | | In its early stages, lung cancer has no symptoms. |
| higher after age 45, then there is a larger jump in | | | | But the signs to watch for include a chronic |
| people over the age of 65. | | | | cough, hoarseness, coughing up blood, weight loss |
| 2. Smoking - the most important risk factor in the | | | | and/or loss of appetite, shortness of breath, a |
| development of lung cancer. Cigarettes expose | | | | high fever with no known reason, wheezing, |
| the body to more than 4-thousand different | | | | repeated episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia, and |
| dangerous chemicals. The Centers for Disease | | | | chest pain. |
| Control says that about 85-percent of all lung | | | | Among the current approved treatments for lung |
| cancers in the U.S. are in people who currently | | | | cancer are Surgery, if used in the early stages of |
| smoke or who have smoked in the past. They | | | | the tumor, it can be taken out, Radiation therapy, |
| note that even if you have quit smoking, the risk | | | | a form of high energy X-rays that kills the cancer |
| does not decrease the longer ago you quit and it | | | | cells, and Chemotherapy or drugs effective |
| never returns to zero. | | | | against cancer cells, injected directly into a vein, or |
| 3. Extended exposure to second-hand or passive | | | | taken by pill. |
| smoke - the CDC reports that there are over | | | | |