For World Lung Cancer Day, Lung Cancer Patient Navigator Suzanne LaBuda, BSN, RN, OCN, of Aultman Cancer Center discusses how to reduce your risk for lung cancer and when to be screened.

Observed on Aug. 1 each year, World Lung Cancer Day focuses on the power of unity in the fight against lung cancer. In the United States, 1 in 16 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in his or her lifetime, and around 127,000 American lives are lost to lung cancer each year. In fact, lung cancer claims more lives each year than breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers combined.

Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer. Cigarette smoking is associated with more than 90% of lung cancers and responsible for 80% of lung cancer deaths. People who have never smoked account for only 20% of lung cancer deaths.

The good news is that the number of new lung cancer diagnoses, as well as the mortality rate, are declining steadily, likely related to advances in treatment and early detection. It’s important to be aware that most people with lung cancer do not have symptoms until the cancer is advanced, so screening is vital.

Studies have shown that lung cancer screening reduces the risk of dying from lung cancer by detecting lung cancer at a very early stage, when it is more likely to be cured. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography in people who meet the following screening criteria:

• You are between 50 and 80 years old.
• You have a 20-pack-year smoking history. A pack-year is used to describe how many cigarettes you have smoked in your lifetime, with a pack equal to 20 cigarettes. If you have smoked a pack a day for the last 20 years, or two packs a day for the last 10 years, you have 20 pack-years.
• You currently smoke or have quit in the past 15 years.

After smoking, exposure to radon gas is the second leading risk factor of lung cancer. Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that you cannot taste or smell. It forms in rocks, soil and water. Radon gas can get into homes or buildings, becoming trapped in the air inside. Over extended periods of time, exposure to radon can cause lung cancer.

For more information on radon gas or to learn how to obtain a free testing kit, go to epa.gov/radon. Other risk factors include environmental exposure to substances such as asbestos, diesel exhaust, arsenic and some forms of silica and chromium.

The most important things you can do to prevent lung cancer is to not start smoking, or quit if you already smoke, and to get your home tested for radon gas.