To lower your lung cancer risk, don’t smoke, avoid secondhand smoke, and get your home tested for radon…
- The most important thing you can do to prevent lung cancer is to not start smoking, or to quit if you smoke.
- Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults who have never smoked. People who have never smoked but are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work have a 20% to 30% higher risk of getting lung cancer.
- Radon is a gas that you cannot smell, taste, or see. It comes naturally from rocks and soil and can dissolve in groundwater. Radon is thought to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, responsible for more than 200,000 lung cancer deaths each year. People can be exposed to radon mainly from breathing radon in air that comes through cracks and gaps in the foundation of buildings and homes. One in 15 homes has a high level of radon. Testing your home is the only way to find out if you have a radon problem.
Is lung cancer screening right for you?
Yearly lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT scan) is recommended for people who:
- Have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history, and
- Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and
- Are 50-80 years old
A pack-year is smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for 1 year. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.
Questions?
Call Walking Tree Family Practice today to schedule an appointment to discuss whether lung cancer screening is right for you.