GotLungs?
Got lungs? Of course, you have lungs; we all have lungs. It’s November, and it’s time to spotlight Lung Health.  Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in both men and women.

It is a known fact that our lung function declines as we age. What is not widely realized is that both men and women don’t escape the staggering statistics for lung cancer.   Worth noting is that women are even worse than men. The month of November is an excellent time to examine the incidence of lung cancer; it is strongly correlated with cigarette smoking, with about 90% of lung cancers arising as a result of tobacco use.

Wearing last Fall Lafayette 148 wool jacket with piped leather trim and Lafayette 148 dress, Stella and Dot gold tone lariat, Kate Spade New York Licorice camel suede pumps.

Lung cancer is referred to as the deadliest cancer. Why? First, note there are two general types of lung cancer:  small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for approximately 87% of lung cancers.  Small-cell lung cancer grows very rapidly and tends to spread early to other parts of the body.  This type of lung cancer is commonly found in smokers.

Be reminded of the Lung Facts:

Lung Cancer Facts; image from American Lung Association
Lung Cancer Facts; image from American Lung Association

More than 200,000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year, and nearly 160,000 people die of the disease.  If caught before it has spread to the lymph nodes or other organs, lung cancer has about a 50 percent survival rate.  However, most cancers are not seen at an early stage because they do not generally produce early symptoms, making the all-around survival rate for lung cancer relatively low 3, although it has been improving thanks to new diagnostic testing, drugs, and awareness campaigns.

 Lung Cancer: Do You Know the Symptoms?

Know the warning signs of the deadliest cancer, lung cancer.
Know the warning symptoms of the deadliest lung cancer—image from National Lung Cancer Partnership.org.

When Smokers Quit:

What happens to the body immediately when one stops smoking. Image credit: cancer.org
What happens to the body immediately when one stops smoking? Image credit: cancer.org

Got Lungs?Join the American Cancer Society on Thursday, November 20, for the annual Great American Smoke Out. Your lungs will love you for it.