Lung Cancer

• Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer. 80%-90% of lung cancer deaths are linked to cigarette smoking.
• Breathing second-hand smoke is also risky, as if you were smoking yourself.
• Radon can sometimes be found in homes. Breathing in high levels can expose you to small amounts of radiation.
• People exposed to large amounts of asbestos also have a greater risk of developing mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer.
• Your risk of lung cancer may be higher if your parents, siblings or children have had lung cancer.

Lung cancer includes two main types: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.

Types of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Large cell carcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma

Types of Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Small cell carcinoma
• Combined small cell carcinoma

Getting screened for lung cancer is critical, as finding the cancer at an earlier stage improves outcomes.

A lung cancer screening is a non-invasive, low-dose CT scan. Other regular cancer screenings, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, involve discomfort, but a lung cancer screening only involves lying still for a few minutes.

Such scans may detect small lung nodules, or lesions, that cannot be diagnosed as clearly benign or clearly cancerous. These lesions, known as indeterminate nodules, typically require follow-up with repeated CT scans, a biopsy or even surgery.

Most early-stage lung cancers are completely asymptomatic, which is why screening is so important! Screenings happen before symptoms arise. There are three major criteria to identify who may be at highest risk of developing lung cancer and therefore should be screened:

• Between the ages 50 and 80
• Actively smoking at that age or quit smoking within the last 15 years
• Someone who has smoked an average of a pack per day for 20 years or more

Accessing a screening can happen through a referral from your primary care physician.

For non-small cell lung cancer:

• Surgery, including state-of-the-art robotic tumor removal surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy

For small cell lung cancer:

• Surgery, including state-of-the-art robotic tumor removal surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Immunotherapy

New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials, and patients may want to think about taking part in such trials. Patients can enter clinical trials before, during or after starting their cancer treatment.

Find out more here.