Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in America for both men and women. In fact, more people die from lung cancer than colon, rectum, breast and prostate cancers combined.
Risk Factors
Some lung cancer risk factors, such as smoking, can be controlled. Others, such as a person's age, can't be changed. Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. More than eight out of 10 lung cancers are thought to result from smoking. However, two out of 10 are not related to smoking. How long a person has smoked and the number of cigarettes smoked per day affect the likelihood that a smoker will develop lung cancer. Other risk factors for lung cancer include exposure to secondhand smoke, radon, asbestos and certain air pollutants. Certain lung diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB), increase a person's chance for developing lung cancer.
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