|
LUNG CANCERCancer is the second leading cause of death in Maine and throughout America, and lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer. Nationwide roughly 222,500 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer annually. That means, 1 in 14 men and 1 in 17 women will develop lung cancer. Unfortunately lung cancer is the number one killer among all cancers. It causes more deaths than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined. Approximately 156,000 lives are lost to lung cancer each year!
Lung cancer is the highest cause of death among men and women in Maine. Maine's rate of lung cancer is HIGHER than the national average. Lung cancer incidence in Maine is 74.8 per 100,000 population, the national incidence rate is 60.3 per 100,000 population. Only four other states had incidence rates higher than those in Maine!
|
LUNG CANCER IS PREVENTABLE!Of all risk factors the highest are tobacco use, particularly smoking, and radon gas exposure. These two factors account for the majority of lung cancer cases. The good news is that these risk factors are completely avoidable and you can significantly reduce your risk for acquiring lung cancer. The best way to avoid lung cancer is to never smoke! This includes e-cigarettes. If you do smoke, quit! Test your home for radon gas and fix it if your levels are too high. Know your numbers! You should consider fixing your home if radon levels are 2 pCi/L or above. You absolutely should fix your home if radon levels are 4 pCi/L or more. If you get your water from a private well, you should also have it tested for radon.
|
Smoking and tobacco use, and radon gas exposure are the top causes of lung cancer. These causes are completely avoidable!
|
Most teens and adults who smoke wish they never started. Many would like to quit. Of those who try, few are successful on their own. For a healthier life, it is important to get help to quit!
|
"Lung cancer does not have a face until it's yours or someone you know"
|
|
The rates of smoking and e-cigarette use combined with the high levels of radon in Maine are a serious concern. If you smoke and are exposed to radon your chances of developing lung cancer are incredibly high. We know from studies of coal miners exposed to radon who also smoked that the risk is about 10 to 20 times greater for developing lung cancer than those who were never exposed.
"I never thought that I would be dying of lung cancer at age 45. I smoked a little bit as a teenager and didn't think much about what it might do to my future. Now I am planning my funeral as I am enrolling my son into preschool. I am so sorry that I am not going to see my children grow up, get married, have careers and interests, and children of their own. I'm sorry to my wife, there is so much that I wish to do, but can't. The chemo, the treatments take all my energy. Each day is a struggle!"
- B. A. lung cancer patient in Mid Coast Maine
- B. A. lung cancer patient in Mid Coast Maine
Lung Cancer Signs and Symptoms
The Free to Breathe Coalition has developed a nice acronym to remember the signs and symptoms of lung cancer to watch for:
B: blood when you cough or spit
R: recurring respiratory infections
E: enduring cough that is new or different
A: ache or pain in the shoulder, chest, or back
T: trouble breathing
H: hoarseness or wheezing
E: exhaustion, weakness, or loss of appetite
B: blood when you cough or spit
R: recurring respiratory infections
E: enduring cough that is new or different
A: ache or pain in the shoulder, chest, or back
T: trouble breathing
H: hoarseness or wheezing
E: exhaustion, weakness, or loss of appetite
Testing and Prognosis
If any of the above signs or symptoms of lung cancer are present it is important to have them checked out by a healthcare professional, especially if you smoke! Waiting can shorten your life! Most lung cancer patients wait too long to report their symptoms and get checked!
Testing and screening include low dose CT scan, x-ray, sputum cytology (looking at the material you cough up under a microscope), and biopsy. Biopsy (sample of the suspected tumor tissue to look under a microscope for abnormal cells) may be obtained in a few different ways. These include surgical excision (cutting the tissue out), needle biopsy (guiding a needle through your chest wall and into the lung tissue to collect cells), and bronchoscopy (passing a lighted tube down your throat and into your lungs to collect a sample). Other areas of the body (most often lymph nodes) may be biopsied as well to determine cancer spread. MRIs and PET scans are other imaging tests used to determine the spread of cancer.
Testing and screening include low dose CT scan, x-ray, sputum cytology (looking at the material you cough up under a microscope), and biopsy. Biopsy (sample of the suspected tumor tissue to look under a microscope for abnormal cells) may be obtained in a few different ways. These include surgical excision (cutting the tissue out), needle biopsy (guiding a needle through your chest wall and into the lung tissue to collect cells), and bronchoscopy (passing a lighted tube down your throat and into your lungs to collect a sample). Other areas of the body (most often lymph nodes) may be biopsied as well to determine cancer spread. MRIs and PET scans are other imaging tests used to determine the spread of cancer.
Lung cancer is a difficult disease with a poor prognosis. Treatment for lung cancer includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation all of which take a toll physically, mentally, and spiritually on the person with the disease and their family. Pain, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, and difficulty breathing are common with lung cancer. Lung cancer is often diagnosed at late stages of disease where the survival rate is less than 5%. Even with cases diagnosed at earlier stages the average five year survival rate is only 18%!
The chances of me getting lung cancer at age 40 were really nil. Then to be hit with stage four, it's just unreal.
- Ann Ross