Facts about lung cancer

When looking for facts about lung cancer, one jumps off the page faster and more vividly than any other facts about lung cancer: Smoking is the cause 95% of the time. In no other cancer is the cause so obviously and clearly outlined. Yes, there are ties between red meat and colorectal cancer. Yes, certain hormone treatments have been linked to breast cancer. And everone knows asbestos's history.

But when it comes to facts about lung cancer, it's unassailable that smoking is very, very likely to be the casue of any given case. Ignore this at your own peril.

Some other facts about lung cancer:

Just under 200,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. This is a decrease in percentage of the population that coincides perfectly with the decrease in percentage of smokers over the decades.

Unfortunately, while instances of lung cancer have become less common among men, it's become far more common among women. This is attributable to the increase in smoking among women in the caucasian community in the 1970s as well as the increase in minority communities in the 1980s and 1990s. There are also some recent stories that suggest women may generally be more predisposed to getting lung cancer than men, but many in the health industry view these reports skeptically.

And understand this: Even if you've been a lifetime smoker, quitting smoking at any time will help your chances of avoiding lung cancer! It's never too late to quit smoking and improve your health. Yet another of the facts about lung cancer that can't be missed.

Symptoms should be aware of are largely what you'd expect them to be. There's shortness of breath and wheezing, a persistent cough, chest pain, and spitting up blood. If you're experienceing any or all of the above, make sure to monitor your condition closely and get to a doctor. It's not worth taking chances with your life when it comes to the most common cancer in the western world.

While lung cancer is survivable if caught early, as of the year 2004 it still caused nearly one point five million annual worldwide deaths. The countries where the percentage of deaths from lung cancer are the highest tend to be in Eastern and Central Europe, though both the United States and Canada also have high rates of death from lung cancer.