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Lung Cancer
& Tobacco Use

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States today (7). It is one of the few cancers with mortality rates that continue to increase (8). Survival rates for lung cancer are very low with a five-year survival rate of 15%, early detection has not yet been proven to improve survival rates (7). 87% of lung cancers are caused by smoking (8). In fact, smoking is the most important source of preventable morbidity worldwide (9). Smoking is responsible for one in every five deaths in the United States today (9). Approximately 25% of adults in the United States smoke and 90% of them began smoking in their teens. Half were addicted by age 18 (9). Nicotine is the addictive drug found in tobacco and is 10 times more addictive than heroin (10). Seventy (70%) of current smokers want to quit and 34% of them try. Unfortunately, only 2.4% of smokers are successful in their attempts to quit (9).

Risk Factors

The most important risk factor for lung cancer is smoking (8). Other risk factors include exposure to certain substances (such as asbestos and radon), air pollution, tuberculosis, and for nonsmokers - environmental tobacco smoke (7). The risk factors for taking up tobacco use are varied, however since most people begin using tobacco during their teens, youth might be considered the major risk factor for tobacco use.

Prevention

Quitnet

Quitnet is a free, online, interactive service designed to help smokers quit. The web site has two levels of service; one is free and the other requires a nominal fee or sponsorship which is provided by many state health departments. Quitnet offers a variety of support features as well as general information about tobacco use and the diseases it causes.

Visit this site

The single most important factor in preventing lung cancer, as well as a variety of other major diseases, is not using tobacco products, and more specifically, not smoking (7). Since tobacco products are highly addictive, never beginning to use tobacco products is the easiest way to avoid tobacco use. However, the benefits to quit smoking are so powerful that quitting can quickly become a necessity for many people. Today, there are many aids, such as nicotine patches and gum, telephone and online counseling, as well as other programs.

Here are some of the health benefits of quitting smoking:

  • Within 24 hours of quitting, the risk of sudden heart attack decreases.
  • Within 48 hours of quitting, nerve endings begin to regenerate and senses of smell and taste begin to return to normal.
  • Within two weeks to three months of quitting, circulation improves, walking becomes easier, and lung function increases up to 30%.
  • After one year without smoking, the risk of heart disease caused by smoking is reduced by half.
  • After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer for former smokers drops to less than half that of a continuing smoker.
  • In 5 to 15, years the risk of stroke for former smokers returns to the level of those who never smoked (10).

Resources

ALA—American Lung Association

www.lungusa.org
The American Lung Association® (ALA) is the oldest voluntary health organization in the United States, fighting lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health. The ALA web site contains information on research findings, programs by the ALA, air quality, diseases of the lungs, and much more.

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Footnotes

1. http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancer_information/cancer_type/breast
2. ACS. Cancer Facts and Figures. 2002.
3. http://www.nabco.org/images/myth_fact_new.pdf
4. ACS. Cancer Facts and Figures. 2002.
5. http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancer_information/cancer_type/colorectal
6. ACS News Today. Eliminate Colorectal Cancer Act Moves To The Full Senate. July 18, 2002.
7. Healthy People 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
8. http://www.lungusa.org/data/lc/lcp1.pdf
9. http://www.lungusa.org/data/smoke/SMK1.pdf
10. Behind the Smoke Screen: The Facts About Tobacco use in Colorado. Colorado Department of Health and Environment. 1999
11. ACS. Cancer Facts and Figures. 2002.
12. Questions and Answers About Early Prostate Cancer. Cancer Facts. National Cancer Institute. 1999
13. Questions and Answers About the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. Cancer Facts. National Cancer Institute. 2000
14. Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT): Questions and Answers. Cancer Facts. National Cancer Institute. 2001.
15. 5 A Day Program Evaluation Report. National Cancer Institute. 2000
16. http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/DietGd.pdf

This page reviewed and updated October 13, 2004.

Health information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for diagnosing or treating a health problem. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.