The Dire Reality of Lung Cancer



Lung cancer is one of the most devastating diseases a person can be diagnosed with. It’s also one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and it affects millions of people each year. Unfortunately, lung cancer has a very poor prognosis with only about 15% of those diagnosed surviving five years after diagnosis. This dire reality is often overlooked in favor of more treatable cancers like breast or prostate cancer. However, lung cancer deserves just as much attention and resources as any other type of cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2020 alone, over 228,820 new cases will be diagnosed and approximately 142,670 people will die from the disease in the United States. While anyone can get lung cancer regardless of whether they’ve smoked or not, smoking remains to be the number one risk factor for developing this deadly disease. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 90% of all lung cancers are caused by smoking cigarettes and other forms tobacco products such as cigars and pipes.

In addition to smoking tobacco products, there are other risk factors associated with developing lung cancer including exposure to secondhand smoke or radon gas in your home or workplace; exposure to certain chemicals such as asbestos or diesel exhaust; having a family history of lung cancer; being exposed to radiation therapy; being exposed to air pollution; having HIV/AIDS; being over age 65; and having COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

Early detection is key when it comes to treating any form of cancer but unfortunately many cases are not detected until they have reached an advanced stage which makes them much harder – if not impossible – to treat successfully. The symptoms for early stage lung cancers can vary greatly but some common signs include coughing up blood (hemoptysis), shortness breath (dyspnea), chest pain that worsens with deep breathing and coughing (pleuritic chest pain), unexplained weight loss, hoarseness in voice due persistent coughs etcetera . Therefore it is essential for individuals who experience any concerning symptoms for an extended period time seek medical advice immediately so that diagnosis can take place before the condition worsens further .

Lung Cancer may seem like an inevitable fate but there are steps you can take today reduce your risk developing this deadly disease including quitting smoking if you do smoke , avoiding secondhand smoke whenever possible , limiting your exposure environmental toxins , getting screened regularly if you have high risk factors , eating healthy foods exercising regularly etcetera . Taking preventive measures may not guarantee a cure but they certainly give us hope that we can fight against this dreaded disease together .

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Lung cancer, leading cause of death, poor prognosis, smoking, risk factors, early detection, symptoms, environmental toxins, preventive measures,

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