Cancer Control Newsletter
November/December 2023 Edition
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.
It is important to understand your risk and to talk to a healthcare provider to find out if lung cancer screening is right for you.
Benefits and Possible Risks of Lung Cancer Screening
The American Cancer Society explains that the main benefit of screening is the chance to find lung cancer earlier, which can lower your risk of dying from lung cancer. However, as with any cancer screening, not everyone who gets screened will benefit. Screening with LDCT will not find all lung cancers. Not all of the cancers that are found will be found at an early stage. And some people with lung cancer found by screening will still die from that cancer.
LDCT scans can also find things that turn out not to be cancer, but that still have to be checked out with more tests to know what they are. You might need more CT scans, or less often, invasive tests such as a lung biopsy, in which a piece of lung tissue is removed with a needle or during surgery. These tests might lead to serious complications, although this is rare.
Lung Cancer Screening Quiz
How much do you know about lung cancer screening? Click on the button below to take a short quiz and find out.
According to Cancer.Net, the following factors may raise a person's risk of developing lung cancer:
Tobacco and Smoking.
Asbestos.
Radon.
Air Pollution.
Other Substances.
Genetics.
The most important way to prevent lung cancer is to avoid tobacco smoke. People who never smoke have the lowest risk of lung cancer. But even people who have smoked for a long time can reduce t heir risk of lung cancer by stopping smoking.
For more information on Lung Cancer risk factors and prevention, click on the button below.
People who have smoked a long time can reduce their risk of lung cancer by stropping smoking.
Many treatments and resources are available for people who want to quit smoking or using other tobacco products. Your chances of success are higher if you plan includes these steps:
Set a quit date.
Develop ways to deal with situations that prompt you to use tobacco.
Build a network of support.
See a counselor.
Use medications to help you quit.
Talk with a healthcare provider to develop a plan that will work for you.
Click on the buttons below for FREE local quit resources.
Within minutes of smoking your last cigarette, your body begins to recover:
20 minutes after quitting your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
A few days after quitting the carbon dioxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
1 to 12 months after quitting coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
1 to 2 years after quitting your risk of heart attack drops dramatically.
5 to 10 years after quitting your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box (larynx) is cut in half. Your stroke risk decreases.
10 years after quitting your risk of lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking (after 10-15 years). Your risk of cancer of the bladder, esophagus, and kidney decreases.
15 years after quitting your risk of coronary heart disease is close to that of a non-smoker.
Treatment Options
The most common types of treatments used for lung cancer are:
Surgery.
Radiation Therapy.
Chemotherapy.
Targeted Therapy.
Immunotherapy.
For more information on the treatment of lung cancer, click on the button below.
This report is a collaborative effort by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the American Cancer Society, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
Part 1 of the report focuses on national cancer statistics. The report shows that cancer deaths continued to decline among men, woman, children, and adolescents and young adults in every major racial and ethnic group in the United States from 2015-2019. All the findings in this report are based on data from before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part 2 of the report shows new diagnoses of six major cancer types in the United States fell abruptly in early 2000, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To read Part 2 of the report, click on the button below.
Vaping, E-Cigarettes Linked to Asthma Risk Among Teens
What's Trending in E-Cigarettes?
A new study has found that vaping may increase the risk of asthma in teenagers who have never smoked conventional cigarettes or tobacco products. The use of e-cigarettes/vapes has increased dramatically over the past several years, offering to consumers a less toxic form of smoking compared with traditional cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes still contain a mixture of harmful chemicals that raise concerns of respiratory diseases.
To read the study from AJMC, click the button below.
