November Is Lung Cancer Awareness Month....

November is an awareness month for many different things, but I am going to start with information covering lung cancer.

You can get lung cancer even if you never smoked a day in your life. Scientists estimate that environmental tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke ) causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year among adult nonsmokers in the United States.(3) But there are over 30,000 Americans who never smoked that get lung cancer each year.

While smoking has been largely associated with lung cancer it's not the ONLY cause of lung cancer. Second hand smoke , Radon gas, asbestos, and exposure to other carcinogens also contribute. Further it attributes to ALL CANCERS, including breast, colon and prostate cancers to name a few.

Overall, it has been estimated that 1.7% of lung cancers up to the age of 68 are hereditary.

Common Symptoms of Lung Cancer:
A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time
Constant chest pain
Coughing up blood
Shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness
Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis
Swelling of the neck and face
Loss of appetite or weight loss
Fatigue
These symptoms may be caused by lung cancer or by other conditions. It is important to check with a doctor

Risk Factors
Smoking cigarettes or cigars, now or in the past.
Being exposed to second-hand smoke.
Being treated with radiation therapy to the breast or chest.
Being exposed to asbestos, radon, chromium, arsenic, soot, or tar.
Living where there is air pollution.
Genetics; a history of lung cancer in your family.

So please take care of yourselves and those around you! More November Awareness information to come!