
The number one cause of cancer death for both men and women worldwide, lung cancer affects both non-smokers and smokers alike. Once diagnosed, victims usually have a poor prognosis—survival rates are only 16% at five years. And even that isn’t fun; with combined treatments of radiation, surgery and chemo, lung cancer simply isn’t a pretty or positive experience from any angle.
Over 170,000 Americans develop lung cancer annually. Of these, about 10% are in non-smokers. However, many of those cases—at least 3,000 of them— were caused by “passive smoking,” or through the effects of secondhand smoke. People who live with smokers have a 24% risk increase of getting lung cancer.
All of this simply points out the obvious—don’t smoke or be around smoke if you don’t want lung cancer! Cigarette smoking has been medically determined to be the biggest risk factor of getting lung cancer.
Aside from stopping smoking—which is the number one thing to do to lower your risk of dying from lung cancer, as well as protecting your loved ones around your smoke—here are a few other things you can do to help prevent yourself from getting lung cancer.
Avoid smoky places. Keep away from secondhand smoke as much as possible, whether it’s at a club, the bowling alley or a relative. Many restaurants and recreational places offer smoke-free space today. Be sure to let your local entertainment venues that you prefer nonsmoking areas when you give them your business.
Eat fruits and vegetables. This is one of the largest pieces of advice that doctors give when patients ask how to decrease the risk of any cancer. Fruits and veggies are full of cancer-fighting agents like antioxidants and flavonoids. These help save damaged cells by repairing them, as well as encourage a healthy diet.
Watch your exposure to harmful chemicals. From dust to asbestos, chemical fumes to pesticides, you can develop any number of harmful conditions at your workplace or home. Have your home tested and ask your workplace about which chemicals you are being exposed to. They cannot deny your request; it’s your legal right to know. Anything from radon to diesel fumes to gasoline to coal products can induce harm to your lungs.
Work to decrease air pollution. Some studies say that this can cause lung cancer—or at least other respiratory problems. Write to your representative about your concerns about air pollution in your area.
