Lung cancer may not be on your radar if you’re young, healthy and don’t smoke, but it could still happen to you.
It’s one of the most common cancers in the U.S., yet there’s still a lot of confusion about who can get lung cancer and how it develops. So we talked to Mary Jo Fidler, MD, a medical oncologist at RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center, to set the record straight.
She shares six facts everyone should know.
1. Not everyone with lung cancer has symptoms.
About one in five people with lung cancer may not have any signs at all.
“Sometimes we find it completely by accident,” Fidler says, “like on a CT scan after something unrelated, such as a car accident.”
When symptoms do appear, they can include a persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath or unexplained weight loss.
“These warning signs often don’t show up until the cancer is more advanced,” Fidler says. “So it’s important to pay attention to any ongoing changes in your body and talk with a doctor if something feels off.”
2. Quitting smoking lessens your risk.
So you’ve smoked for a long time? Quitting now could still make a big difference — for your health and your risk of getting cancer.
Even quitting just a few weeks before lung cancer surgery can improve breathing, support healing and reduce the risk of complications, studies show.
“No one should feel ashamed of a smoking history," Fidler says. "The sooner you quit, though, the more your lungs can begin to recover, which lowers your risk over time. And there’s help available, regardless of where you are in the quitting process.”
3. You don’t have to smoke to get lung cancer.
Even if you’ve never picked up a cigarette before, you can still get lung cancer.
In fact, as many as one-fifth of lung cancers in the U.S., happen in people who never smoked or have smoked very little.
“Factors like genetics and the environment can play a role in developing lung cancer, even without a smoking history,” Fidler says. “But we’re still learning more about these risks, so we can catch lung cancer earlier and make sure the right people get screened.”
4. Young people can get lung cancer, too.
Lung cancer can affect people at any age. While many cases are diagnosed in people 55 and older — with the average age around 70 — younger adults can develop lung cancer, too.
About 10% of people diagnosed in the U.S. are 55 or under, and many of them do not smoke.
“We do see lung cancer in young adults, and more often than we’d like to see them,” Fidler says. “A common reason is that changes in a specific gene, or driver mutations, often play a role in triggering the cancer.”
She adds that we are also still trying to learn which families should be screened for hereditary risk testing for lung cancer.
“If cancers do run in your family, it is usually worthwhile to speak to a genetic counselor,” Fidler says.
5. Screening is the best way to catch it early.
A quick, low-dose CT scan can detect even small tumors, helping doctors find lung cancer at an early stage. In people with a high risk for lung cancer, screening has been shown to reduce deaths caused by the disease by about 20%.
“Getting checked is always better than ignoring the risk,” Fidler says. “Early detection gives patients the best chance for successful treatment. That’s why it’s so important to spread the word about screening for lung cancer.”
You may be eligible for a lung screening if you are between 50 and 80 years old, currently smoke or if you quit within the last 15 years and you have a “20 pack-year” smoking history, meaning you have smoked one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.
Fidler adds that “beyond these eligibility requirements, we are still learning who else should have a CT screening to look for lung cancer.”
6. Lung cancer is treatable.
Thanks to advances in detection and treatment, more people are living longer, fuller lives after a lung cancer diagnosis. When cancer is found early and hasn’t spread, five-year survival rates can be as high as 64%.
“No matter what, if someone with a new diagnosis of lung cancer is feeling well enough to have treatments, it is a treatable illness,” Fidler says.
Newer targeted therapies have delivered promising results, she adds, keeping some patients’ cancer under control for years.
“Often there’s a misconception that the treatments for lung cancer might be worse than the actual cancer itself,” Fidler says. “But we have effective therapies now that we can use to treat lung cancer — no matter the stage — that can offer more hope than ever.”
To learn more about lung cancer screening or care at RUSH MD Anderson, visit us online or call (312) CANCER-1.
