Date Published: 11/28/2020 [Source]
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The biggest cause of lung cancer is smoking followed by radon and radiation exposure, and environmental pollution. Usually the symptoms of lung cancer don't appear until the disease is already at an advanced, noncurable stage.
Patients can have cancer growing and would not know unless the cancer grows into a rib or blood vessel. By that time, they are experiencing late symptoms like coughing up blood, chest or bone pain. If we are able to diagnose it at an earlier stage, their survival rate is very good. However, most lung cancers are diagnosed at stage three and only about three out of 10 patients with stage three lung cancer survive past five years.
If we can find a cancer in its early stages, we can surgically remove it and have more success with medical treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy and help people live a longer and healthier life.