Avoiding cigarettes a necessity
More people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. According to American Cancer Society statistics, of the approximately 228,000 new lung cancer cases this year alone, an estimated 160,000 will die from lung cancer – more than all the deaths from prostate, breast, colon and pancreas cancer combined. It kills more women than breast, ovary and uterine cancer combined.
Dr. Glen Mills is director of the Feist- Weiller Cancer Center and a board-certified oncologist who specializes in lung cancer. Mills said, “Over 432,000 will die from smoking – cancer, heart disease, stroke and lung disease – this year. To put it in perspective, this is equivalent to 2-1/2 Boeing 747 jumbo jets crashing and killing all aboard every day for a year. And we refuse to regulate cigarettes like we do the air transportation industry.”
Mills said, “There are two main types of lung cancer. The first is small-cell lung cancer that is seen in about 20 percent of our patients. It is a fast-growing one that always requires chemotherapy and usually radiation therapy to treat. Only 5 percent of patients can be cured. Survival ranges from six months to 16 months on the average. Surgery is never an option, as it spreads very early.
“The second is non-small-cell lung cancer, which is greater than 80 percent of patients. This is the one that, if caught early, can be cured with surgery. Caught early, 50 percent can be cured. Unfortunately, right now only 15 percent of patients have their cancer caught early. If advanced – not as good. If the cancer is limited to chest but surgery not possible, then the survival is usually 18 months and, if widespread, 10-12 months. We use chemotherapy and radiation to treat these advanced patients.”
Smoking is the No. 1 risk factor for lung cancer, causing about 90 percent of lung cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also lists secondhand smoke (breathing the smoke of others) as creating a significant risk for lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 3,000 non-smoking adults will die each year from lung cancer related to breathing secondhand smoke.
Other risk factors listed by the CDC that can increase a person’s chance of contracting lung cancer are:
• Family history of lung cancer;
• Radiation therapy to the lungs;
• Asbestos;
• Exposure to cancer-causing chemicals such as uranium, beryllium, vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas, chloromethyl ethers, gasoline and diesel exhaust;
• High levels of air pollution;
• High levels of arsenic in drinking water; and
• Radon gas.
Mills listed chemotherapy and radiation as the principal treatments for lung cancer. Mills said, “Chemotherapy is usually with two or three drugs given once every two to three weeks for four to six treatments. Radiation to the chest is usually [administered] daily Monday through Friday for six weeks.”
Mills said, “The good news is that we are getting better able to treat some types of lung cancer. By looking at the genes, we can find targeted specific treatments in a small number of patients that can greatly extend their survival – not cure. This is most commonly seen in those patients who are non-smokers. Rarely do we see this in those whose cancer is caused by smoking.”
The CDC lists the following warning signs for lung cancer:
• Coughing that gets worse or doesn’t go away,
• Chest pain,
• Shortness of breath,
• Wheezing,
• Coughing up blood,
• Feeling extremely tired all the time, and
• Weight loss with no known cause.
Having one or more of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that one has lung cancer, however. Lung cancer may also cause other changes in the body such as enlarged lymph nodes or repeated bouts of pneumonia.
Mills emphasized the importance of screening for lung cancer, especially for those with risk factors, citing the new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which state that smokers (current or having quit within 15 years) between the ages of 55 and 79 with a smoking of 30 packyears or greater should have a CT scan of their lungs performed annually because of their high-risk status. A pack-year is a unit of measurement, which multiplies packs per day by the number of years the patient smoked at that level. Thirty pack-years could be one pack per day for 30 years, two packs per day for 15 years or five packs per day for six years, for example. Mills also cited the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society in saying the new draft recommendation for lung cancer screening takes into account the increased risks of annual CT scans.
Above all, Mills said, “Do not smoke, and if you do, quit and see your doctor about screening.”
