Lung Cancer Addendum

I want to revisit this just briefly today as I still worry over the confusion that follows a statement such as the one I read this weekend. "A majority (60%) of new lung cancer cases are in never and former smokers." It just sends the wrong message and could, if left unchallenged, derail some persons plans to quit smoking.

So again... 85% percent of lung cancer (NSCLC and SCLC) is directly related to cigarette smoking. The people who are diagnosed with lung cancer years after they quit smoking did NOT get it because they quit, but HAD IT when they quit.

Lung cancer most often begins in the bronchi or tubes of the lungs when cells change into precancerous lesions after coming into repeated contact with carcinogens in the tobacco smoke. (If you ever had a white patch in your mouth, which is referred to as leukoplakia, you can use that as a visual.

Lung tissue changes because of the assault or injury from tobacco smoke and if the cells become cancerous they will multiply incredibly fast. Cancer cells secrete or emit a chemical that creates new blood vessels that actually feed the cancer cells. NONE of this can be seen on an XRAY but it is happening just the same. When a tumor forms from these cancerous cells THEN it can be seen. Symptoms may come at that stage, but not usually before so.

The time it takes for the cells to change into cancerous cells is YEARS and because we have gone from a national smoking rate of 42% to a near 19% we have a LOT of former smokers. These people had lung damage when they stopped smoking they did not get lung damage because they quit.

In NSCLC the tumor is usually isolated and can be removed. In SCLC, the one that does not have many nonsmokers as victims, the spread is so fast and symptomless that treatment must involve drug therapy and the five year survival rate is less than 10 percent.

Many times a smoker will tell me that they had a lung scan and the doctor said that everything was just fine. Here is what I want these people to understand:

The xray or scan will show when you HAVE cancer not that your GETTING cancer.

A person who quits smoking will have at least 1/2 the risk of getting lung cancer after ten years as one who continues to smoke. I have been quit since 1997 and well, I just have to keep my fingers crossed and do everything else healthy that I possibly can.

I understand also that disease sometimes JUST happens but that means that I need to prepare my body for such a challenge by living as healthy a lifestyle that is in my power to live.