Lung cancer is still the deadliest cancer in the United States, responsible for about one in every four cancer deaths.
However, recent progress in screening, surgery, and new targeted treatments is giving patients a better chance to live longer and healthier lives. Doctors now say that the tools available today could greatly reduce lung cancer deaths in our lifetime.
Dr. Daniel Boffa from Yale School of Medicine and the American College of Surgeons believes that screening is the most powerful way to save lives. A simple medical scan called a low-dose CT can spot lung cancer early, often before symptoms appear.
When found early, treatment is far more effective. The National Cancer Institute reports that these scans can lower the risk of dying from lung cancer by about 20 percent.
Experts recommend that adults aged 50 and older who smoke or used to smoke should have this test every year. Still, the American Lung Association says that only 18 percent of those eligible were screened in 2022.
Smoking is by far the biggest cause of lung cancer, but it’s not the only one. Around 20 percent of people diagnosed have never smoked at all. Other causes include breathing in radon gas, exposure to asbestos, air pollution, wildfire smoke, or having a close family member with lung cancer.
Symptoms to watch for include a cough that doesn’t go away, chest pain, or coughing up blood. Dr. Boffa encourages everyone to know these warning signs and talk to a doctor if they appear.
For people whose lung cancer is caught early, surgery gives the best chance for a cure. Modern surgical techniques have improved greatly. Many hospitals now use minimally invasive or robotic surgery, which means doctors make only a few small cuts instead of one large opening.
This helps patients recover faster, stay in the hospital for a shorter time, and experience less pain. According to Dr. David Tom Cooke from UC-Davis, patients are often able to return to their normal lives much more quickly.
Treatment has also become much more personal. Instead of giving every patient the same medicine, doctors can now test a tumor’s genes to see what changes or “mutations” it carries. This process, known as biomarker testing, helps match patients with the most effective drugs.
These may include targeted therapies that block cancer growth or immunotherapies that help the body’s immune system fight cancer cells more effectively. As Dr. Ian Bostock from the Miami Cancer Institute explains, these advances mean that even people with advanced lung cancer can sometimes live for many years with the right treatment.
Of course, preventing lung cancer is still the best solution, and quitting smoking remains the single most important step anyone can take.
Dr. Boffa points out that stopping smoking not only lowers the chance of developing cancer but also improves recovery for people who already have it. While quitting is never easy, there are now many tools and programs that can make the process more successful.
The progress made in lung cancer care shows how far science and medicine have come. Early screening saves lives, advanced surgery speeds recovery, and personalized treatments are helping people live longer than ever before. However, more work is still needed to make sure that everyone at risk gets screened and that the latest treatments are available to all.
When reviewing the study findings, one clear message stands out: early detection is the key. The low-dose CT scan has proven its ability to find cancer early and save lives, but the screening rate remains too low. This means thousands of people could benefit but never get tested.
The study also highlights how personalized treatment, based on each person’s genes, has transformed outcomes for patients with advanced disease. However, prevention through smoking cessation remains the strongest defense.
Overall, the combination of screening, advanced surgery, targeted drugs, and quitting smoking could turn lung cancer from a deadly diagnosis into a manageable condition for many people.
If you care about lung health, please read studies about marijuana’s effects on lung health, and why some non-smokers get lung disease and some heavy smokers do not.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
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