Lung Cancer (cont.)

How can lung cancer be prevented?

Cessation of smoking is the most important measure that can prevent lung cancer. Many products, such as nicotine gum, nicotine sprays, or nicotine inhalers, may be helpful to people trying to quit smoking. Minimizing exposure to passive smoking also is an effective preventive measure. Using a home radon test kit can identify and allow correction of increased radon levels in the home. Methods that allow early detection of cancers, such as the helical low-dose CT scan, also may be of value in the identification of small cancers that can be cured by surgical resection and prevented from becoming widespread, incurable, metastatic cancer.

Lung Cancer At A Glance

• Lung cancer is the number-one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the U.S. and worldwide.
• Cigarette smoking is the principal risk factor for development of lung cancer.
• Passive exposure to tobacco smoke also can cause lung cancer.
• The two types of lung cancer, which grow and spread differently, are the small cell lung cancers (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC).
• The stage of lung cancer refers to the extent to which the cancer has spread in the body.
• Treatment of lung cancer can involve a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy as well as newer experimental methods.
• The general prognosis of lung cancer is poor, with overall survival rates of about 16% at five years.
• Smoking cessation is the most important measure that can prevent the development of lung cancer.