Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer in the United States today. Lung cancer kills more people than breast, cervical, colon, and prostate cancer combined, and does not generally show any symptoms until its late stages.
Where lung cancer starts
To understand lung cancer, we must first understand the lungs. The lungs are two sponge-like organs in the chest. The right lung has three sections, called lobes. The left lung has two lobes. It is smaller because the heart takes up more room on that side of the body. The lungs bring air in and out, taking in oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide gas, which is a waste product of the body.
The lining which surrounds the lungs is called the pleura. The pleura protects the lungs. The windpipe, or trachea, brings air down into the lungs, and divides into tubes called bronchi, which divide into smaller branches called bronchioles. At the end of these small branches are tiny air sacs known as alveoli.
Most lung cancers start in the lining of the bronchi. But lung cancer can also begin in other areas such as the trachea, bronchioles, or alveoli. Lung cancer usually takes many years to develop.
Causes of lung cancer
Undeniably, the most significant cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoke. Roughly 85% of lung cancers are diagnosed in former or current smokers; other cases may be caused by environmental exposure to materials like asbestos or uranium, genetics, or secondhand smoke.
Cigarette smoking
|
Packs Per Day |
Years |
Pack Years |
|
2 |
20 |
40 |
|
1/2 |
30 |
15 |
|
1 |
10 |
10 |
Cigarette smoking causes 85% of all lung cancers--that's been roughly 180,000 cases per year, resulting in approximately 169.000 deaths. The more cigarettes a person has smoked, the higher their risk of lung cancer will be. The amount someone has smoked is often referred to as their pack years. To calculate pack years, multiply how many packs per day you smoked times how many years you smoked. However many years it would have taken you to smoke all the cigarettes you've smoke if you smoked them one pack a day is your pack years.
If you've quit smoking, your risk is lower than it would be if you had continued to smoke today but remains higher than if you had never smoked. If you want to minimize your risk of lung cancer, do not smoke. If you smoke, quit. If you don't smoke, don't start.