John Berry

November is Lung Cancer Awareness month; a reminder for us to stay ever vigilant of this disease, no matter what your background, age, or smoking status. Lung cancer is a disease that knows no bounds, it strikes smokers, non-smokers, men, women, young, old, and all races. It is the #1 cancer killer in the U.S. This year 162,000 Americans will die from lung cancer more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver and kidney cancers combined. While cigarette smoking is closely associated with lung cancer, an increasing number of non-smokers are diagnosed with the disease up to 20% of women and 8% of men who get lung cancer have never smoked. For smokers who have quit, lung cancer risk decreases, but never returns to zero. Other risks include a family history of the disease or exposure to second-hand smoke, asbestos and other industrial carcinogens. While people with prostate or breast cancer have survival rates well beyond 80%, only 15% of people with lung cancer will survive at least five years. But advances in cancer treatment are helping change these grim statistics. About Lung Cancer: Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells in lung tissue. It is not a single disease, but a group of cancers affecting the lungs and bronchi, the two large airways in the lungs. Lung cancer is divided into two major classes, small cell and non-small cell. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer.