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Less than 80 years ago, lung cancer was so unusual that a treating physician would be likely to invite colleagues or students to examine his patient, since it might be the only time in their career they were exposed to such a rare condition.
Today, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States among both men and women, accounting for nearly 30 percent of such deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. "Tobacco-related deaths worldwide are expected to increase from about 5 million per year today to about 10 million per year by the 2030s," said Carole Bullock, regional director of communications for the American Cancer Society. "More than 85 percent of patients with lung cancer will die from the disease, as opposed to patients of other cancers who are cured with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation," said Dr. M.S. Mangat of Plaza Cancer Specialists in Fort Worth. More women die from lung cancer than from breast, uterine and cervical cancers combined, he said. More men die from lung cancer than from the combined deaths due to prostate or colorectal cancers.The good news is that lung cancer could circle back to rare-disease status just as rapidly as its 20th century proliferation, if enough people would do one thing – stop smoking."Over 90 percent of lung cancers are tobacco-related," said Dr. Gary Jones, a physician on staff at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless Bedford. "If we want to prevent lung cancer, smoking cessation is really the only effective therapy." Not everyone with lung cancer smokesAccording to the American Cancer Society, there are two major types of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. About 85 to 90 percent of lung cancers fall into the non-small cell category, which is the type of cancer that is usually seen in smokers. The lung cancers seen in non-smokers are typically associated with risk factors such as environmental or second-hand smoke and exposure to certain industrial substances, organic chemicals, asbestos and air pollution. Currently, there are no screening guidelines for lung cancer available, which means a non-smoker who is concerned about exposure to second-hand smoke or asbestos can’t do much beyond keeping an eye out for lung cancer’s symptoms, which include coughing, shortness of breath and fatigue. Smokers can’t be screened for lung cancer either, but they can take advantage of therapies and treatments designed to take the edge off of smoking cessation, which can be painful or unpleasant. "Nicotine is extraordinarily addictive," said Jones. "If you have smoked one hundred cigarettes, which is about five packs, you’re probably addicted." Reducing the urge to light upBoth Jones and Mangat recommend Chantix, a non-nicotine prescription drug that reduces the urge to smoke by blocking nicotine receptors in the brain. The Chantix Web site boasts a high success rate among users; however, the drug is accompanied by a safety warning stating that some Chantix patients have experienced serious changes in behavior, including aggressiveness, sleep problems and suicidal ideation.
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