As fall descends on Northeast Ohio, this is a great time of year to take a deep breath of that crisp autumn air and think about your potential risk for lung cancer.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, which calls attention to the second most common cancer (aside from skin cancer) in both men and women.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2026, there will be:

• About 229,410 new cases of lung cancer (110,910 in men and 118,500 in women) in the U.S.
• About 124,990 deaths from lung cancer (63,040 in men and 61,950 in women) in the U.S.

By far the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., lung cancer accounts for about 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths – each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.

Your age is a significant factor in your risk. Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. Most people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older, though a very small number of people diagnosed are younger than 45. The average age for lung cancer diagnosis is about 70.

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

The best way to reduce your risk of lung cancer is not to smoke and to avoid breathing in other people’s smoke. If you stop smoking before cancer develops, your damaged lung tissue gradually starts to repair itself. No matter what age or how long you’ve smoked, quitting will lower your risk of lung cancer and help you live longer.

If you smoke or used to smoke but do not have any signs or symptoms, screening is recommended. A Low-Dose CT (LDCT) scan, the recommended screening tool for lung cancer, may help detect the disease early before any signs or symptoms of lung cancer begin. Cancer found at an earlier stage is more likely to be treated successfully.

If you fit into one of these two groups, you may be eligible for lung cancer screening:

Group 1

• Age 50 to 80 and
• History of smoking at least a 20-pack-year and/or
• Currently smoke or have quit smoking within the past 15 years

Group 2

• Age 50 or older and
• History of smoking at least a 20-pack year or exposure to secondhand smoke and
• One additional risk factor other than secondhand smoke – such as family history of lung cancer or exposure to radon gas or asbestos

According to the National Cancer Institute, a pack year measures the amount a person has smoked over a long period of time. It is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked. For example, one pack year is equal to smoking one pack per day for one year, or two packs per day for half a year, and so on.

The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:

• A cough that does not go away or gets worse
• Coughing up blood or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)
• Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing or laughing
• Hoarseness
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling tired or weak
• Infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
• New onset of wheezing

If lung cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it may cause:

• Bone pain (like pain in the back or hips)
• Nervous system changes (such as headache, weakness or numbness of an arm or leg, dizziness, balance problems or seizures), from cancer spread to the brain
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), from cancer spread to the liver
• Swelling of lymph nodes (collection of immune system cells) such as those in the neck or above the collarbone