What can be done to prevent the disease?

This best way to prevent this cancer is not to smoke and to avoid exposure to second-hand smoke. People who want to quit smoking can try:

Educating young people about the dangers of smoking is a key preventive strategy.

Radon is a cancer-causing substance that should also be avoided. It is sometimes found in the home. If present, it can be reduced to acceptable levels by various means, such as caulking and creating more ventilation.

Early diagnosis may help in reducing some deaths, however, lung cancer tends to spread early. There are no reliable screening blood tests or sputum tests, and screening chest X-rays have not been shown to be cost effective on a population-wide basis.

What are the long-term effects of the disease?

Stage I cancers are considered curable by surgical removal 50 to 90% of the time.

Stage II are curable, but less than 50% of the time. Curability drops off rapidly in later stage disease.

People with stage III-B and IV have an average survival of less than 1 year.

Small cell lung cancer with bulky metastatic disease has a survival of less than 1 year as well. Some patients with grossly limited small cell lung cancer can survive for more than 2 years with aggressive treatment with combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

What are the risks to others?

Others are not put at risk since this type of cancer is not considered contagious. People who continue to smoke expose others to the toxic substances in second hand smoke. Radon is a risk factor for any type of lung cancer. Asbestos has been linked to some non-small cell lung cancers.