Detecting Lung Cancer Blog

So often, there is a greater focus on the negative aspects that surround lung cancer – the low survival rate, the amount of deaths per year, the lack of funding – The list seems to never end.

However, despite these statistics, there is always hope. Even when things seem at their worst, there are always reasons not to give up, and always reasons to hope for the future. Below, we list 10 of those reasons.

Unfortunately, when lung cancer is diagnosed, many people are not given good odds. With a 16% 5-year survival rate and more than 50% of newly diagnosed individuals perishing within the first year, it’s not just the facts behind the disease, but the stories that can be discouraging.

In this previous post, we discussed 10 men who you know for their fame and success – What you might not know, however, is that they all battled lung cancer.

In this most recent post, we focus on the female fighters. Ten women have more than just success in common: They also all know what it’s like to take on lung cancer, the number one cancer killer.

As the number one cancer killer, it makes sense that there are many celebrities and other well known people who have battled lung cancer. However, we don’t typically hear about it – Why?

Given the poor prognosis for lung cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of only 16% and more than 50% of people perishing within the first year, there is one sad possibility as to why more people aren’t speaking out: Many people pass away before they get an opportunity to actively raise awareness for the disease.

In honor of the new year and many people resolving to have a new outlook on life and health, we continue with our top 10 lists in hopes of inspiring people to better their lives.

Few people know the true facts about lung cancer. With so many misconceptions out there, it’s easy to see why so many people don’t know the dangers about the number one cancer killer. In 2012, let’s do everything we can to end these common misconceptions, and inform everyone we know about the very real lung cancer facts.

A recently published article by Lynne Eldridge MD on About.com  discusses some of these misconceptions.  We’ve taken excerpts from that article to share with you in this post.

For the last few weeks, we have been discussing one of the most common New Year’s Resolutions, as well as one of the hardest resolutions to keep—To give up smoking.

Smokers and ex-smokers can be as much as 45 times more likely to develop lung cancer in the next 5 years than someone their age who has never smoked. It is without question, the number one risk factor for lung cancer.

If you or a loved one smokes, it is a good thing to quit, and the new year is a good time to take on the new challenge of living smoke-free. If you quit smoking, your lung cancer risk will reduce over time. That said, you are still at an increased risk for lung cancer.

According to our Lung Cancer Risk Assessment, which is based upon a published risk model by M.D. Anderson researchers and clinicians, a 60 year old male who quit smoking 15 years ago is still 28 times more likely to get lung cancer in the next 5 years than someone his age who never smoked. For reasons like this, it is important to be aware of lung cancer symptoms and take advantage of early lung cancer detection methods. If lung cancer is found in its earliest stages, the 5-year survival rate triples.

For the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing one of the most common New Year’s Resolutions, as well as one of the hardest resolutions to keep—To give up smoking.

Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. In fact, smokers and ex-smokers can be as much as 45 times more likely to develop lung cancer in the next 5 years than someone their age who has never smoked.

It is common knowledge that smoking is hazardous for your health, but often, people overlook the facts because they are addicted to smoking.

Using this Facts About Smoking post as a guide, we’ve added onto the Top 10 Reasons to Quit Smoking, pulling from different articles and other knowledge about the real effects that smoking can have. As we celebrate the new year, we look toward 2012 as an opportunity to change bad habits and make promises to better ourselves.

Hopefully, when learning about smoking effects, this will inspire a few people to put down the cigarettes and make a life-altering change.