Approximately 68,510 women will die this year from Lung Cancer. That is more than Breast and Ovarian Cancer combined! With the death of Dana Reeve and Peter Jennings, Lung Cancer is back in the forefront of people’s minds. But, most people believe they are safe, because Lung Cancer is thought to only be a smoker’s disease.
While it is true that the majority of Lung Cancer sufferers are or have been smokers, not all people who fall victim to it fit into this category. It is said that 90% of people who get Lung Cancer are smokers, but that means 10% of them are not. Dana Reeve is said to have never smoked, I have a friend who recently lost his mother to this disease, and she too was a non-smoker. “Well, it’s only 10%, that’s not bad,” you may say. What if you, or someone you love where in the 10%, it’s a different story then. The scariest part is how long it can go undetected.
In every case I’ve heard of, the person diagnosed with Lung Cancer suffered little more than a nagging cough, and by the time they went to see a doctor the disease was too far gone to do much about. This is even more disturbing when you realize, the chances of surviving a Lung Cancer diagnosis declines when found at more advanced stages. It isn’t all bad news though.
According to www.lungcancer.org, “early detection is the key to survival, because when caught early, most Lung Cancers can be cured. They go on to say, “thanks to new treatments, the cure rate for Lung Cancer has doubled over the past 30 years.” This is very comforting news; however, there are things you can do to avoid Lung Cancer all together.
Improving Your Odds of Survival
- Quit smoking
- Learn about early detection if you are a current or former smoker
- if you have it, find out about all the options available to you
Obviously, the best thing you can do to help guard yourself from getting this horrible disease is to stop, or better yet never even start, smoking. But, there are other factors that go into getting Lung Cancer, such as environmental and hereditary issues. That being said, the best thing you can do to help improve your chances if you find yourself, or a loved one, in this devastating situation is to see a doctor immediately. Don’t wait for that nagging cough to go away on its own, check it out and make sure it’s nothing to worry about.
For more information you can go to www.4women.gov, and www.lungcancer.org.
