Lung cancer is a disease caused by abnormal growth of lung cells. It may be a primary lung cancer which means that the cancer cells originally developed in the lung tissues. It may also be due to metastasis or expansion of the cancer from one organ to another through blood and lymph systems. The lung is the most common site of metastasis.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. Statistics show that there are about 159,390 deaths are being reported yearly in the United States. Every year, a total of 219,440 new cases are being diagnosed of lung cancer in United States alone every year.
Tobacco Smoking
One identifiable major risk factor of having such disease is smoking. According to studies, about 90% of those with lung cancer have a social history of tobacco use. The risk of having lung cancer increases as you increase the number of cigarettes that you consume over time.
Another risk factor is passive smoking. Although you don’t directly use tobacco or similar things, inhalation of its smoke poses the same effects. Research shows that a non-smoker living near with a smoker increases his risk of having lung cancer by 24% when compared with other non-smokers.
Strong Family History
A strong family history of lung cancer or any other cancer is a risk factor for having one. Studies had shown that it may likely occur regardless of if you smoke or not. The genetic susceptibility of an individual plays a role in acquiring lung cancer.
Personal Medical History
Presence of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may predispose to lung cancer. Having such diseases, the individual increases its risk to about 4% to 6%.
Moreover, a person who survives a lung cancer has a greater risk of developing a second lung cancer. It has an additive risk of about 1% to 2%.
Air pollution
Smoke from vehicles and factories raises the possibility of developing the disease. Up to 1% of lung cancer deaths can be associated to inhaling polluted air.
