November is lung cancer awareness month. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. This includes both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. There are about 236,740 new cases diagnosed and 130,180 deaths each year. Most people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older, with the average age at diagnosis at about 70. The number of new cases of lung cancer continues to decline as smoking rates decrease. Advances in early detection and treatment have also decreased the number of deaths from lung cancer.

Overall, the chance that a man will develop lung cancer in his lifetime is about one in 15; for a woman, the risk is about one in 17. These numbers include both people who smoke and those who do not smoke. For people who smoke, the risk is much higher, while for those who do not, the risk is lower.

• Black men are about 12% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men. The rate is about 16% lower in Black women than in white women.
• Black and white women have lower rates than men, but the gap is closing. The lung cancer rate has been dropping among men over the past few decades, but only for about the last decade in women.
• Despite their overall risk of lung cancer being higher, Black men are less likely to develop small cell lung cancer than white men.

There are several risk factors that increase the chances of getting lung cancer. Some risk factors, like smoking, can be changed. Others, like age or family history, cannot be changed. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get the disease. Some people who get the disease may have few or no risk factors. Several risk factors make you more likely to develop lung cancer.

Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer. This includes cigarettes, cigar and pipe smoking. Secondhand smoke, exposure to radon, exposure to asbestos, exposure to cancer-causing agents in the workplace and arsenic in drinking water increase the risk for lung cancer and are factors that can be changed. Previous radiation to the lungs, air pollution or a personal or family history of lung cancer are risk factors that cannot be changed.

Lung cancer screening is recommended for certain people who smoke or used to smoke, but do not have any signs or symptoms. A person without any signs or symptoms of lung cancer means that the disease may be caught early. Cancer found at an earlier stage is more likely to be treated successfully. The use of low-dose CT scan (LDCT) is recommended as a screening tool for lung cancer. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society now recommend screening with LDCT for adults aged 50 to 80 years who have a 20-pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Screening should be discontinued once a person has not smoked for 15 years or develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have curative lung surgery. The biggest benefit of screening is a lower chance of dying from lung cancer. Talk to your doctor to see if this type of screening is right for you.