Lung Cancer


Having one or more risk factors does not mean that you will develop cancer. Many people have at least one risk factor but will never develop cancer, while others with cancer may have had no known risk factors. Even if a person with cancer has a risk factor, it is usually hard to know how much that risk factor contributed to the development of their disease.

Factors that are associated with a higher risk of developing lung cancer include:

  • Smoking cigarettes, pipes or cigars currently or in the past - (greatest risk for lung cancer) the risk is higher for people who began smoking early in life, smoked for longer and more often
  • Exposure to second hand smoke
  • Personal or family history of lung cancer
  • Radiotherapy treatment to the chest
  • Exposure to radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas
  • Exposure to asbestos fibres
  • Exposure to other workplace substances, including radioactive ores (e.g. uranium), chromium compounds, nickel, arsenic, soot, tar or diesel fumes
  • Exposure to air pollution
  • Infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS
  • A history of certain diseases of the lungs, including tuberculosis, fungal infections of the lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis

 

The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:

  • A new or changed cough that is persistent (doesn’t go away)
  • Coughing up blood
  • Wheezing, trouble breathing or shortness of breath
  • Chest pain and/or shoulder pain or discomfort – the pain may be worse with coughing or deep breathing
  • Hoarse voice
  • Trouble swallowing
  • Weight loss
  • Loss of appetite
  • Tiredness or weakness
  • Infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia that keep coming back
  • Swelling in the face or veins in the neck
  • Symptoms such as jaundice, headache, bone pain or swollen lymph nodes that are associated with the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body.

Many conditions can cause these symptoms, not just lung cancer. If you have any of these symptoms, they are not otherwise explained and they persist, you should talk to your doctor.

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