10 Myths About Lung Cancer, Debunked

好吗？当然。没有风险？没有。您当天发育肺癌的当前风险与您在当天熏制的程度有关;现在和你的最后一个吹的年数;加上达娜巴斯顿达娜巴斯癌癌研究所的胸泡桑斯，M.D.，雅各布桑斯，M.D.。仍然，“戒烟是你可以为肺部健康做的最好的东西，”他补充道。最近的研究揭示了吸烟者（每天23个或更多CIGS）在戒烟五年内将其风险降低了39％。

While smoking tobacco remains by far the biggest risk factor for developing lung cancer—the habit is linked to at least 80% of lung cancer deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—it’s not the only cause. The American Cancer Society reports that one in five people who die of lung cancer each year never lit up. Instead, never-smokers may have been exposed to radon, secondhand smoke, asbestos, or other toxic chemicals. “And there are plenty of people without any exposures who develop the disease,” says Dr. Sands.

“一个非常常见的误解，”Tawee Tanvetyanon，M.D.H.Leemoffitt癌症中心和肺癌专家坦帕，佛罗里达州普拉斯，普拉斯研究所的肿瘤专家。当初始手术期间不能删除100％的癌症时，他怀疑发生混乱。“此外，在手术时可能存在更多的癌症，而不是最初怀疑。”他维持，这是一个肯定需要破坏的神话。“我总是承认对患者的恐惧，但也让他们知道如果他们没有手术，那么就会更快地变得更糟。”

肺癌是一种隐形的疾病,通常提供no clear symptoms, especially when contained to the lungs alone. Moreover, “lung cancer’s most common signs, like cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, and weight loss, are also common indicators of other issues like emphysema and pneumonia,” says Elisabeth Dexter, M.D., attending thoracic surgeon and associate professor of oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY. “Essentially, that means that there are no telltale signs.” She advises that you see your doctor ASAP if any of the above symptoms linger—or you’re hit with new, unexplained shortness of breath or persistent cough.

这有一些真相“如果你考虑65和过去，”德克斯特博士说。实际上，70是肺癌诊断的平均年龄。然而，这种疾病，特别是在非吸烟者和女性中，人生早些时候就会发生。2020年的研究国际癌症杂志found that women between the ages of 30 and 49 are being diagnosed with lung cancer at higher rates than men—and differences in smoking habits between the sexes didn’t completely explain the pattern. Bottom line: If you experience symptoms (see Myth #4), no matter your age, see your healthcare provider.

“Many primary care doctors don’t fully understand the benefits of lung cancer screening, so they’re not telling patients about it—not good, considering 70% of screen-detected lung cancers are early-stage, thus curable,” says Dr. Sands. Right now, just 2% of those who qualify for an annual low-dose CT scan lung cancer screening get them. You qualify if you’re 55 to 77; in relatively good health; smoked (at least) 20 cigarettes per day for 30 years, or two packs per day for 15 years; you smoke now; or have quit within the last 15 years.

今天，有针对性的治疗的众所周知的是大约四分之一的腺癌，最常见的非小细胞肺癌形式提供新的希望。这种方法实际上蜂巢并杀死携带某些DNA突变的癌细胞而不损坏健康细胞，与化疗或辐射不同。“在非小细胞肺癌治疗中，这是革命性的，”沙博士说。他补充说，任何被诊断出患有腺癌NSCLC的人都需要进行测试，以了解有针对性的治疗是否可以为他们工作。“这被认为是关怀的标准，但令人惊讶的是，不是每个人都在完成它 - 所以问。”

Meanwhile, immunotherapy is a biological approach that uses medications to help activate your immune system into recognizing—and then obliterating—cancer cells. “Right now, immunotherapy is used routinely for all patients with stage 3 and 4 lung cancer,” says Dr. Tanvetyanon. “That translates to around 60 to 70 percent of all lung cancer patients.” Immunotherapy for lung cancer has only been widely available for about five years but it’s already made a great impact. “Immunotherapy has helped convert about 15 to 20 percent of stage 4 cancer patients into long-term survivors,” he says.

Truth is, e-cigarettes (a.k.a. vape pens or vaporizers) haven’t been around long enough to know for sure. What we do know is that they’re “filled with significant chemicals that can damage the lungs,” says Dr. Sands. According to the American Cancer Society, those damaging chemicals are cancer-causing, even if they are present in far lower amounts than in regular cigarettes. Still, as of January 2020, almost 3,000 people have been hospitalized for e-cigarette-related lung injury. It also remains uncertain whether e-cigarettes can increase smoking cessation success—likely why the FDA has yet to approve any e-cigarette products as quitting-smoking tools.

立即停止此虚假概念。“在肺癌诊断时戒烟的患者对其癌症治疗具有更好的反应，and德克斯特博士说，它们在肺癌手术后经历了更少的并发症和更好的存活率。“根据2019年期刊的报告，缩短癌症诊断后，甚至在癌症诊断后帮助降低次生癌症的风险翻译肺癌研究。We know it’s not easy to quit—if you need support, visit theAmerican Lung Associationto learn how.