Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. As they grow, the abnormal cells can form tumors and interfere with the functioning of the lung, which provides oxygen to the body via the blood.
Researchers have found that it takes a series of mutations to create a lung cancer cell. Before becoming fully cancerous, cells can be precancerous, in that they have some mutations but still function normally as lung cells.
Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. As they grow, the abnormal cells can form tumors and interfere with the functioning of the lung, which provides oxygen to the body via the blood.
Researchers have found that it takes a series of mutations to create a lung cancer cell. Before becoming fully cancerous, cells can be precancerous, in that they have some mutations but still function normally as lung cells.
Lung Cancer takes more lives annually in the U.S than the next three most common cancers combined. Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. Most people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older, while a very small number of people diagnosed younger than 45. The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 70.
Only 19% of all peopled diagnosed with lung cancer wil survive 5 years or more, but if it is caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves drastically.
Black men are about 20% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men. The rate is about 10% lower in black women than in white women. Both black and white women have lower rates than men, but the gap is closing. The lung cancer rate has been dropping among men over the past few decades, but only for about the last decade in women.
There are about 228,150 new cases of lung cancer (116,440 in men and 111,710 in women), and about 142,670 deaths from lung cancer (76,650 in men and 66,020 in women). Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women.
Overall, the chance that a man will develop lung cancer in his lifetime is about 1 in 15; for a woman, the risk is about 1 in 17. These numbers include both smokers and non-smokers. For smokers the risk is much higher, while for non-smokers the risk is lower.
Tobacco smoking is by far the leading cause of lung cancer. About 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, and many others are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. Smoking is clearly the strongest risk factor for lung cancer, but it often interacts with other factors. Smokers exposed to other known risk factors such as radon and asbestos are at even higher risk.
There are also other factors that come into play for lung cancer such as:
Despite the very serious outlook of lung cancer, some people with earlier stage cancers are cured. More than 430,000 people alive today have been diagnosed with lung cancer at some point. With diagnosis it’s important to seek support within a community or through a medicare system that is built to help sustain quality life support against lung cancer.
All for One ‘s goal is creating a community that helps fight back against lung cancer. Our fundraisers and events go towards the research for cancer in hopes to find a cure and to help those who need the health care support.
No one should go alone on this journey, and we are here to stand by your side.
Donations are sent to the Lung Cancer Research Foundation to support research for a cure for lung cancer and to help support All for One's organization.
