Lung Cancer

Filed in archive General Health on March 2, 2007

Worried about breast, cervical or ovarian cancer? Here's another biggie. PRNewswire alerts us to an article from Harvard Health Watch. Harvard tells us:

More women die each year
from lung cancer than from breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined.
And women who smoke are more likely than men to develop lung cancer. Even
women who've never smoked are at greater risk than their male counterparts.
Screening for lung cancer hasn't yet become common, but recent studies
suggest that a test called spiral computed tomography can detect lung
cancer when it is still curable.

That's right. Even if you've never smoked, you can still get lung cancer. You become a victim of second-hand smoke. The Orlando Sentinel Blog says:

Up to 20 percent of female Lung Cancer Patients have never smoked, according to a new study that suggests women are more vulnerable to second-hand smoke.

The Cancer Blog gives us some good news about a simpler method of testing:

The lung cancer breath test measures chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath. There's a certain pattern of VOCs associated with lung cancer, and they show up as colored dots across a quarter-sized panel.

The method still needs a lot of work and testing, but if it's successful, there'll be no reason for anyone, woman or man, to shy away from being tested.