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Dr. Kim Mulvihill ReportingThe death of Dana Reeve from lung cancer is a sad reminder that the disease is a common and deadly attacker, even among those who have never smoked. It's estimated that up to 25,000 non-smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer every year.
Smoking has long been heralded as the leading cause of lung cancer and the diagnosis of the disease in non-smokers often seems surprising. Environmental factors, including second hand, smoke are among the most prominent risk factors, says the Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Peter Mazzone,
Peter Mazzone, MD MPH, Cleveland Clinic Pulmonologist: "There are a wide variety of chemicals that you can be exposed to, asbestos; and then there are things like radon, radiation exposure from the ground below your home."
Lung cancer is more common among non-smoking women than men. Scientists believe estrogen may play a role. Researchers are also working on pinpointing genes that make people more susceptible to cancer-causing agents in their environment.
Peter Mazzone, MD MPH: "The biggest problem with lung cancer is that there are often no symptom, that it's there until it's gone very far."
Because of late diagnosis, an estimated six out of 10 people with lung cancer die within one year of being diagnose. There is no standard screening test, although CAT scan technology is showing promise in finding small tumors.
And newer more powerful drugs are helping improve survival rates. But for now, health experts stress, the key message remains prevention, and that means reducing the number one lung cancer risk factor - smoking.
Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women. An estimated 173,700 new cases of lung cancer and an estimated 160,440 deaths from lung cancer will occur in the United States during 2004.
The rate of lung cancer cases appears to be dropping among white and African-American men in the United States, while it continues to rise among both white and African-American women.
