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The leading cause of lung cancer is caused by smoking. Tobacco smoke contains many harmful substances that damage cells. Over time, these cells can become cancerous. A person who smokes a lot, has a higher risk of getting cancer—not just lung cancer, but also cancers of the mouth, esophagus, throat, kidney, larnyx, cervix, bladder, and pancreas.
It is quite clear that thousands of lives could be saved each year if people did not smoke. The risk of lung cancer begins decreasing slowly as soon as a person quits smoking. The earlier the age at which a person quits, the closer a former smoker's risk of lung cancer will approach the risk for a person who never smoked.
Although quitting early is best, smokers should know that it is never too late to benefit from quitting—even if they have lung cancer. Lung cancer patients who stop smoking are less likely to get a second lung cancer than are patients who continue to smoke.
Tobacco smoking is the single major cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Cigarette smoking is on the rise in young people and nicotine is addictive. However, tobacco is big business. It is the life blood of some states, so totaly baning cigarettes will be quite difficult. The older you get the higher your risk for death if you smoke. The more you smoke the greater your chances of dying.
Treatmen and prognosis is determined by multiple factors. The most important determinant is stage. Stage is how far the tumor has spread. This can somewhat be determined without surgery, though surgery is needed in many patients for accurate staging. The second important factor is the histologic type of lung cancer. There are several different types of lung cancer, each of which have different prognoses and therapies.
Lung cancer is sometimes picked up early, but our best treatment is prevention. Not smoking and stopping smoking are the two most important things we can do for ourselves and our loved ones. The chart on the left graphically shows the benefit of stopping smoking. The longer you have quit, the more benefit you receive. However, you can never undo all the damage.
