Lung Cancer Awareness
Risk Factors
While doctors cannot always explain why one person develops lung cancer and another does not, there are certain risk factors that research has shown increase a person’s chance of developing lung cancer.
- Tobacco smoke
- Radon
- Asbestos and other carcinogens
- Air pollution
- Family or personal history of lung cancer
- Radiation therapy
- Age 65 and older
- History of lung disease
- Diet
80% OF LUNG CANCER PATIENTS DIAGNOSED AT ADVANCED STAGE. LUNG CANCER IS GENERALLY ASYMPTOMATIC DURING EARLY STAGES
You can help lower your risk of lung cancer in the following ways
• Don’t smoke. The most important thing you can do to prevent lung cancer is to not start smoking, or to quit if you currently smoke.
• Avoid secondhand smoke. Smoke from other people’s cigarettes, cigars, or pipes is called secondhand smoke. Make your home and car smoke-free.
• Get your home tested for radon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that all homes be tested for radon.
• Be careful at work. Health and sagety guidelines in the workplace can help workers avoid carcinogens — things that can cause cancer.
Screenings
Screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms. This can help find cancer at an early stage, when it is easier to treat.
A low dose CT scan is recommended to screen for lung cancer. Annual screening is recommended for high risk people who:
• Have a history of heavy smoking, and
• Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and
• Are between 50 and 80 years old
Illinois CancerCare currently has over 25 clinical trials open and available for our lung cancer patients.
www.illinoiscancercare.com/clinical-trials
