It's the number one cause of cancer deaths, but you can take steps to protect yourself.
People often have mistaken ideas about lung cancer—starting with how common it is. “You might get screened regularly for breast or colon cancer but not consider being screened for lung cancer,” says Anubha Sinha, MD, a board-certified physician in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Rahway. “Yet lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women.” More people die of lung cancer than from breast, colorectal, prostate and pancreatic cancer combined.
Proactive steps
Screening with a low-dose CT scan at RWJUH Rahway can help people at high risk for lung cancer identify the disease in its early stages, when prospects for treatment and cure are at their best. You may be eligible for yearly lung cancer screening if you are 55 to 77 years old, have a history of smoking for 30 “pack years” (a pack year is the equivalent of a pack a day for a year, are a current smoker or have quit within the past 15 years.
“Lung screening is similar to colonoscopy, which looks for polyps that can be precancerous and are removed,” says Dr. Sinha. “Low-dose lung screening looks for nodules that are precancerous and can also be removed before there is a problem. This concept can relax patients who are nervous about having the test and getting bad news.” If you are concerned because you have smoked in the past, have had secondhand smoke exposure or a strong family history, ask your doctor about diagnostic testing. For anyone, understanding lung cancer risks starts with correcting myths like these:
Myth #1
"I don't smoke, so I'm safe."
Fact: “About 10 to 15 percent of lung cancers are not related to smoking,” Dr. Sinha says. “Secondhand exposure, environmental factors and genetic influences all can play a role." “I’ve smoked for so long that quitting is pointless.”
Myth #2
"I've smoked for so long that quitting is pointless."
Fact: “Even though a smoking-related risk still exists after you quit, it declines with each smoke-free day,” Dr. Sinha says. “I’m too young to get lung cancer.”
Myth #3
"I'm too young to get lung cancer"
Fact: “I’ve seen lung cancer in patients as young as their 40s,” says Dr. Sinha. Risks are especially high in younger people who also have a disease that compromises the immune system.
Myth #4
"It's okay if I smoke because I exercise and take antioxidants"
Fact: Smoking is dangerous even if you otherwise practice healthy behaviors. What’s more, lung cancer symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath and chest pain typically don’t develop until the disease has reached its later stages. Smoking also puts a person at risk of emphysema, heart disease and other smoking-related conditions.
Myth #5
"Secondhand smoke isn't really a risk."
Fact: Exposure to airborne environmental toxins is known to increase lung cancer risks, and secondhand smoke is a leading source. Other environmental hazards include asbestos and radon gas, which can accumulate in homes after being released by elements in soil.
Myth #6
"Radiation from screening increases my cancer risk."
Fact: A low-dose CT scan uses significantly less radiation and is completed faster—in about five minutes—than a standard CT scan. “It’s a minimal amount of exposure and is relatively safe,” says Dr. Sinha. Because scans are low-dose, doctors can use them regularly to track patients over time.
Myth #7
"A lung cancer diagnosis is a death sentence."
Fact: “In the past year, we’ve been able to offer more than 90 percent of lung cancer patients a treatment plan, and some people can be completely cured,” says Dr. Sinha. “The earlier it is detected, the better the outcome.”
Options include surgical removal of the tumor—possibly combined with chemotherapy—and new immunotherapies that have been shown to shrink tumors and improve survival. “Lung cancer treatment demands a multidisciplinary approach that includes interventional radiology, oncology, pathology, pulmonology and thoracic surgery," says Dr. Sinha. "RWJUH Rahway has been able to offer the bulk of patients a plan because we have those resources available.”
Quit nicotine with a free program
Quitting nicotine is hard. To help, the RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery offers free tobacco and nicotine cessation services in Union County. Services are available for all individuals with a tobacco and/ or nicotine dependence, including e-cigarettes and vapes. Enrolling in the program will give participants access to:
- Ongoing support in both individual and group settings
- Access to a medical director for primary care coordination and prescription medications
- Free nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patches, gum and lozenges)
- Behavioral modification and help managing or eliminating nicotine withdrawal symptoms
- Understanding triggers and stressors and developing healthy coping strategies
Learn more about nicotine recovery, or call 833.795.QUIT or email QuitCenter@rwjbh.org.
Quit nicotine support group
A Quit Nicotine Support Group is available every Wednesday from 3–4 p.m. at the RWJ Rahway Fitness & Wellness Center, 2120 Lamberts Mill Road, Scotch Plains. For more information, call 732.499.6193.