Although smoking is by far the most prevalent cause of lung cancer, there are the 20 percent of cases caused by risk factors other than smoking. If you’re a non-smoker, you may have other risk factors for lung cancer.
Our past blogs have touched quite a bit on smoking and how CT Lung Screenings are crucial to detecting potential problems. The same imaging exam can help non-smokers at risk of developing lung cancer as well. There is quite a laundry list of potential risk factors for lung cancer, according to cancer.org and other sources. Among these:
- Industrial and workplace pollutants: exposure on the worksite or in the military is an important cause of mesothelioma (cancer of the lung linings) and other forms of lung cancer from exposure to substances such as asbestos, diesel exhaust, cleaning fluids, benzene, arsenic, hair dyes, formaldehyde, and more.
- Radon gas: Accounts for 21,000 deaths each year, and can build up in homes over time.
- Secondhand smoke: causes approximately 7000 cancer deaths per year in the U.S.
- Outdoor air pollution
- Genetic mutation
Again, lung cancer is the second-most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death – more than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. Prevention methods include avoiding tobacco (or quitting smoking) and exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, testing your home for radon, and eating healthy.
If you’re a non-smoker concerned about your risk — for example, you work in the military or industry and were exposed to pollutants over time – a CT Lung Screening may be in order. RMI offers cash pricing that is up to 50% (or more) less than other providers for the exam. CT Lung Screening can detect potentially cancerous nodules that are far smaller than what are detectable on a standard chest X-ray, providing the opportunity to act early if cancer is present. Early detection can mean up to a 92% survival rate, as opposed to a 15% survival rate if the cancer is caught too late.
As always, you will need to talk to your primary physician to see if such testing is appropriate for you, and to get an order for CT Lung Screening.
Learn more at: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/features/why-lung-cancer-strikes-nonsmokers
