Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death. In Illinois, between 2016 and 2020, the mortality rate from lung cancer was 6.4%. Experts predict that in the next four years, twice as many women will die from lung cancer as from breast cancer.

The lungs are large, and cancer can grow in them for a long time, often for as long as 10 years or more, before symptoms occur. For this reason, by the time many people find out they have lung cancer, it has already become advanced and spread to other parts of the body.

Lung cancer is largely preventable by avoiding its risk factors.

Cigarette smoking is the direct cause of about 85% of all lung cancers. Other causes are exposure to secondhand smoke, radon, certain industrial substances such as asbestos, and occupational radiation. Additionally medical, and environmental sources, air pollution, tuberculosis, or other lung diseases can also cause lung cancer.

About 20% of people who die from lung cancer have never smoked. People who quit smoking may still get lung cancer.

Persons who have smoked cigarettes have the largest risk of getting lung cancer. Pipe and cigar smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer than nonsmokers. The number of years a person smokes, the amount smoked per day, and how deeply the person inhales all affect the risk of developing lung cancer. Others at risk include those exposed to secondhand smoke, individuals who have had tuberculosis or other lung diseases such as emphysema, and people exposed to substances such as asbestos, chromium, radon, and other industrial or environmental chemicals.

Early diagnosis of lung cancer is difficult because a lung tumor big enough to cause symptoms is usually advanced. Occasionally, lung cancer is detected as a shadow on a routine chest X-ray. If present the following symptoms should be discussed with a doctor.

• persistent cough
• coughing up blood
• change in the color of sputum
• chronic pain in the back, chest, shoulder
• reoccurring bronchitis or pneumonia
• swelling of the neck and face
• unusual tiredness
• shortness of breath or wheezing
• loss of appetite or weight
• hoarseness

If you smoke, quit. Stopping smoking, or never starting, greatly reduces a person’s risk of developing lung cancer. Stay away from secondhand smoke.

Eliminate radon if it is present in your home. A kit available at most hardware stores allows homeowners to measure radon levels in their homes. The home radon test is easy to use and inexpensive. Once a radon problem is corrected, the hazard is gone for good.

Protect your lungs from inhaled particles that can lodge in the lungs, damage cells and increase the risk for lung cancer. Workers should use protective equipment, such as masks, and follow recommended work practices and safety procedures. Avoid asbestos exposure.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Illinois. For years, men were at a higher risk because men had a higher smoking rate than women. However, due to the increasing number of female smokers, lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths among Illinois women. According to the Illinois State Cancer Registry, in 2021, there were 9,167 cases of lung cancer across the state. Of these, 4,530 cases were in males and 4,637 were in females. In addition, there were 2,797 deaths among males and 2,643 deaths in women.

Smoking causes 87% of lung cancer, but what about the other 13%? There is evidence that exposure to tobacco smoke in the home, usually from a smoking spouse, may increase the risk of lung cancer in non-smoking women. Nearly 9 out of 10 non-smoking Americans are exposed to “secondhand” smoke, as measured by levels of nicotine in their blood. The best scientific studies show that restrictions on secondhand smoke reduce the risk of death and injury to non-smokers, including children with asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified secondhand smoke as a group A carcinogen (known to cause cancer in humans). More studies are needed to determine how much exposure might be harmful in any of these settings.

The current screening guidelines recommend annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in adults aged 50 to 80 years who have a 20-pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. A pack-year is a way of calculating how much a person has smoked in their lifetime. One pack-year is the equivalent of smoking an average of 20 cigarettes—1 pack—per day for a year. A person could have a 20-pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.

Screening should be discontinued once a person has not smoked for 15 years or develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have curative lung surgery.

The best way to avoid death from lung cancer is never to smoke or to stop smoking. Once lung cancer is diagnosed, there are several treatment options, including radiation, various chemotherapies, and surgery. Survival rates have improved for non-small cell lung cancer because of advances in combination radiation/chemotherapy treatment. However, small-cell lung cancer is still difficult to treat. Small-cell lung cancer is the most aggressive of lung cancers, and many patients have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Small-cell lung cancer is responsive to both chemotherapy and radiation, yet nearly all these patients eventually relapse and need additional treatment.

There is a clear need for more effective treatments for lung cancer. New advances in research have recently led to new drugs that can protect normal cells from being destroyed by chemotherapy.

Early detection remains the key to successful therapy. If you have a history of chronic coughing, coughing up blood, chest pain, or fever, your physician should evaluate you as soon as possible.

Lung cancer is not the only smoking-related cause of death in women. The World Health Organization states that at least 25% of women smokers will die of smoking-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

• American Cancer Society
• National Cancer Institute

• 2024 Lung Cancer Awareness Month Proclamation