Lung Cancer Awareness Month is a part of a long list of awareness topics for the month of November. Lung cancer is an important topic that rightfully deserves to be talked about more especially since the percentage of teen smokers seems to be getting significantly higher. 

Lung cancer awareness month has been recognized since the 1990’s, however it wasn’t made a national awareness month until 2003. It isn’t only recognized in the US, but it’s also observed all over the world. It was made a legal holiday by congress, so it may differ from country to country, but the general concept is still known worldwide. 

Did you know that lung cancer is the top leading cancer-related cause of death in the world? Over 131,880 lives are lost per year in the US just from lung cancer alone. Not to mention that there’s a whopping 235,760 new cases per year. However, that number can be reduced. 

Lung Cancer awareness month is the perfect time to get screened for early detection of lung cancer. If it’s treated before a certain point, thousands of lives could be saved. But why does lung cancer happen to begin with? While everyone knows smoking is the number 1 leading cause of lung cancer, it isn’t the only cause. Anyone can get lung cancer due to genetics, second hand smoke, and more. But there isn’t one main cause, because the cause other than smoking is unknown. If you’ve ever gotten radiation therapy, had exposure to radon gas, nickel, or asbestos, or have a family history of lung cancer, you are automatically more at risk of developing lung cancer. 

People don’t typically feel many symptoms during the early stages, however some of the symptoms include but aren’t limited to: shortness of breath, coughing up blood, chest or bone pain in the lining of your lungs, fluid in your chest, or cancer cells that spread to other parts of your body. 

The main way lung cancer awareness month is observed is by spreading awareness about the things you can do to prevent it or catch the disease early on in its development. Some of the things you can do to prevent lung cancer is getting screened for cancer often, not smoking, eating lots of fruits and veggies, testing your home for radon, avoiding second hand smoke, quitting smoking if you already do, and starting an exercise plan if you don’t already have one. 

If you’re reading this article as a person that smokes/vapes, take this month as your opportunity to quit. Even if you’re only clean for a week or even a couple of days, it’s still something. There are many resources to help quit, and even some here at Manchester. Wishing everyone lots of luck with quitting this November!