Vince Lombardi Cancer Hotline
Your connection to the experts

Get a 2nd opinion
We make it easy and save lives

Specialized cancer programs
Improved survival rates

Treatments
How we treat cancer

Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinics
Services and education for cancer prevention and treatment

Cancer Counseling Center
Live your life to the fullest

Genetic counseling
Learn if you are at high risk for developing cancer

Clinical trials
Vital to advancements in the field of health care

Classes & support groups

General information
Links and information on cancer

Ask an expert
Get answers to your questions

Contact us
Let us know how we can help

Return home
Return to the Aurora Cancer Services home page

Related links

Doctors who can help
Search for Aurora physicians that specialize in this field

Related conditions
- Cervical cancer
- Lung cancer
- Colorectal cancer (Colon cancer)
- Liver cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Throat cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Gallbladder cancer
- Kidney cancer

Lung cancer: Prevention & early detection

Find cancer early and improve your chances of survival. Lung cancer is among the most preventable cancers, as tobacco use is responsible for 87% of lung cancers. In fact, tobacco is responsible for about 21% of all cancers. But if detected early and surgically removed, lung cancer has a cure rate of 70%. Without early treatment, the long-term survival rate for lung cancer is 15%.

We encourage our patients and their loved ones who smoke to take advantage of our smoking cessation programs.

Risk factors

Risk factors for developing lung cancer include:

Smoking (including cigarettes, cigars and pipes)
2nd-hand smoke (from other people smoking)
Asbestos (a natural mineral used in insulation and other materials)
Radon (a radioactive gas released by rocks and soil)
Air pollution (particularly byproducts of burning diesel and other fossil fuels)
Coal dust (from working in a mine or around coal)
Personal history (if you've had certain lung diseases or previous lung cancer)
Age (lung cancer is rare in people under 40)

Prevention

Quit smoking and avoid 2nd-hand smoke. Have your home tested for asbestos. Wear appropriate protective gear when working with asbestos. Try to minimize exposure to air pollutants from diesel fumes and fossil fuels. Check your home's radon levels with kits available at hardware stores. Obtain early treatment for tuberculosis (TB) and other lung diseases. Avoid living or working in a place where 2nd-hand smoke, asbestos, radon or coal dust is present.

Signs & symptoms

Most lung cancers don't cause symptoms until they have grown fairly large or spread to nearby tissues. Common symptoms of lung cancer include:

A cough that does not go away and gets worse over time
Chest pain often made worse by breathing
Shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness
Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
Recurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia
Coughing up bloody or rust-colored sputum
Fatigue

These symptoms can also be caused by other conditions. Check with your doctor if you develop any of these symptoms.

Early detection

Sometimes a chest X-ray will detect early lung cancer. However, a CT scan (computed tomography) is more sensitive and may detect early tumors that an X-ray can't.

Aurora is participating in an early detection research study for lung cancer called the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (IELCAP), one of the many clinical trials that Aurora patients may have access to.

If you have questions about the IELCAP study, please contact Lisa Bray, the Lung Cancer Program coordinator, at 414-649-6691.