Prevention & Risk Factors
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. While lung cancer is difficult to detect and to treat, it is also one of the most preventable types of cancer. The Saint Francis Cancer Center wants you to understand the risks.
Preventing Lung Cancer
The single most important way to prevent lung cancer is to stop (or never start) smoking. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk for lung cancer. There is no evidence that smoking low-tar cigarettes lowers the risk.
If you or a loved one is struggling with nicotine addiction, call the OK Tobacco Helpline at 1-800-784-8669 or learn more about Health Zone's Clear Direction smoking cessation program.
Lung Cancer Risk Factors
The fact that cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer cannot be overstated. According to the American Cancer Society, at least 80 percent of lung cancer deaths are thought to be attributed to smoking. Cigar and pipe smoking increases risk of lung cancer as well.
Additional Lung Cancer Risk Factors
While smoking does cause the majority of lung cancers, there are other risk factors to be aware of. These include:
- Exposure to secondhand smoke: Breathing in the smoke of others is thought to increase your chances of lung cancer by about 30 percent.
- Radon exposure: Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Genetic predisposition: It is well known that some cancers, such as ovarian cancer and colon cancer, run in families. Although heredity’s role in lung cancer is not as well known, a family history of lung cancer does increase the risk to some degree. Having a genetic predisposition for a disease does not mean that you will get that disease, but your risk may be higher than that of the general population.
- Lung diseases: The presence of certain diseases of the lung, notably chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or tuberculosis, is associated with an increased risk for the development of lung cancer.
- Air pollution: It is believed prolonged exposure to highly-polluted air can carry a risk for developing lung cancer similar to that of passive smoking.
Learn More About Lung Cancer
What is Lung Cancer?
Lung Cancer Symptoms
Lung Cancer Tests and Diagnosis
Treatment of Lung Cancer
Learn More About Common Types of Cancer
To learn more about lung cancer, talk to your primary care physician (PCP) or review the links below. If you do not have a PCP, please search our physician directory for a Family or Internal Medicine specialist or call Saint Francis HealthLink at 918-488-6688.
Breast Cancer
Colon Cancer
Head and Neck Cancers
Hodgkin's Disease
Leukemia
Lung Cancer
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Prostate Cancer
Skin Cancer
Pediatric Cancers