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What is Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is a disease in which abnormal or cancerous cells grow in the lungs. The abnormal cells no longer do the work of normal cells. Instead the cancer cells replace and destroy healthy tissue in the lungs.

Did you know...

• About one in ten heavy smokers will get lung cancer.
• Doctors estimate that the smoker's high risk for lung cancer is lowered to almost normal just after 10 years after he or she stops.
• This year, more Canadian women will die form lung cancer than from breast cancer.
• Lung cancer happens most often in people between the ages of 50 and 75 years old who have smoked for many years.
• Finding lung cancer at the earliest, most curable stage is difficult. There may be no symptoms in the beginning to warn a person or the doctor.
• Signs which suggest something's wrong - a chronic cough, wheezing, chest pains, coughing up blood - can occur in other chest diseases.
• Lung cancer can be treated in three ways: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death.

Causes

Cigarette smoke is the major cause of lung cancer.

Prevention

The risk for lung cancer changes if the person stops smoking.

Some experts believe that about 80% of cases could be prevented, if people stay away from cigarette smoke and other things that are known to cause cancer.