Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Understanding the Risks and Recognizing the Signs

What Are the Risk Factors for Lung Cancer?

Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, but anyone can develop the disease. About 10 to 20 percent of lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked.

Factors that can increase your risk include:

• Tobacco use, now or in the past. Risk rises with how much and how long you have smoked.
• Secondhand smoke
• Radon exposure. Radon is a natural radioactive gas that can build up in homes, and it is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. Home radon test kits are inexpensive and easy to use.
• Workplace exposures, such as asbestos, silica, diesel exhaust, arsenic, and certain metals
• Air pollution
• Family history of lung cancer in a parent, sibling, or child
• Lung disease, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or pulmonary fibrosis
• Previous cancer or radiation therapy to the chest, for example for breast cancer or lymphoma
• Older age

It's never too late to quit. Quitting smoking lowers your risk of lung cancer even if you have smoked for many years, and your risk keeps going down the longer you stay smoke-free. Your doctor can help with counseling and medications that make quitting easier.

Lung Cancer Screening: Finding It Early

Lung cancer often causes no symptoms in its early stages. That's why screening matters. A yearly low-dose CT scan of the chest can find lung cancer early, when treatment is more likely to work. Large studies have shown that screening people at high risk lowers their chance of dying from lung cancer by about 20 percent.

You may be eligible for yearly screening if you:

• Are 50 to 80 years old
• Have a smoking history of 20 pack-years or more (for example, one pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years)
• Currently smoke or have quit. Some guidelines include only people who quit within the past 15 years. Other recommend screening no matter how long ago you quit, because lung cancer risk stays higher for decades after quitting.

Screening is for people without symptoms. If you have symptoms like the ones below, don't wait for a screening appointment. See your doctor for an evaluation. 

Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms

When symptoms do appear, they can be mistaken for other common conditions such as a cold, bronchitis, or allergies.

Possible warning signs include:

• A cough that doesn't go away or gets worse
• Coughing up blood, even in small amounts
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Shortness of breath or new wheezing
• Hoarseness
• Pneumonia or bronchitis that keeps coming back
• Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
• Ongoing fatigue
• Bone pain
• New headaches

Having one or more of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have lung cancer. But symptoms that are new, persistent, worsening, or unexplained should be checked by a healthcare professional, whether or not you have ever smoked.

Lung Cancer Treatment Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

Every patient's diagnosis and treatment needs are different. Treatment recommendations depend on the type of lung cancer, its stage, your overall health, and specific features of the tumor.

One important step for many patients is biomarker testing, sometimes called molecular or genomic testing. These tests look for changes in the tumor's genes or proteins. The results can show whether a targeted therapy or immunotherapy is likely to work. Ask your care team whether biomarker testing is right for you before treatment begins.

Depending on the diagnosis, treatment options may include:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Clinical trials of new treatments

Many treatment plans combine more than one approach. Supportive care to manage symptoms and side effects is an important part of care at every stage. An individualized care plan lets your care team choose the options that best fit your needs and goals.

Take an Active Role in Your Lung Health

Lung Cancer Awareness Month is a reminder that awareness should continue all year. Whether you smoke now, used to smoke, or have never smoked, here are some steps you can take:

• If you smoke, get help to quit.
• Test your home for radon,
• Ask your doctor whether lung cancer screening is right for you.
• Pay attention to changes in your health and report symptoms that don't go away.

At The Center, we are committed to compassionate, personalized cancer care and to supporting patients throughout their cancer journey. Early conversations, timely evaluations, and access to experienced cancer specialists can make a meaningful difference.