Lung Cancer 

Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women. In 2002, lung cancer accounted for more deaths than breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer combined. In that year 180,262 people were diagnosed with lung cancer and 157,630 died from the disease. Tragically, 87% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and therefore could have been prevented.

What is lung cancer?
Lung cancer is a malignant tumor of the lungs. There are two basic types: small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer is much more common and usually spreads slowly to different parts of the body. While small cell lung cancer accounts for only 20% of all lung cancer, it is generally faster growing than non-small cell, but more likely to 
respond to chemotherapy.

Causes
The two leading causes of lung cancer are smoking and radon gas. People who smoke are 10 to 20 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than those who do not smoke. The longer a person smokes and the greater the number of cigarettes smoked each day, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer. When people quit smoking, their risk of lung cancer decreases each year as the cells replenish but their risk of getting lung cancer will still remain higher than people who never smoked.

Radon gas accounts for 12% of all lung cancer deaths. Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that comes from rocks and dirt and can get trapped in houses and buildings. It often rises through the soil under a house or building and enters through cracks in the foundation, pipes or drains.

Family history and diet may also be linked to lung cancer but the risk is miniscule compared to that of smoking.

Symptoms
Lung cancer symptoms often only appear in the late stages when the cancer has taken on an advanced form. Symptoms may include a shortness of breath, persistent coughing, wheezing, coughing up blood, chest pain, fever, weight loss and repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis.

Treatments
The doctor will determine the type of treatment necessary, depending on the type of lung cancer, how far it has spread, its size and location. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Patients often receive more than one type of treatment. In surgery, doctors cut out and remove the cancer tissue. This option can potentially cure lung cancer, but some tumors cannot be removed because of their size or location. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to shrink or kill the cancer. These drugs are often injected into the body through an IV or catheter and sometimes are administered in pill form. Radiation uses high-energy rays aimed at the part of the body with the cancer to try and kill the cancer cells. Radiation is typically used in combination with chemotherapy.