Lung Cancer Symptoms Doctors Say Women Should Never Ignore and the Screening Most Skip

While the statistics remain stark—lung cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide and has the highest death rate—treatments have advanced significantly over the years, and hope for further progress is on the horizon. Keep reading as a leading specialist explains the most common symptoms of lung cancer as well as treatment and screening strategies, including the one key step most people aren’t aware of.

What causes lung cancer?

Though overall cases of lung cancer are decreasing, largely due to declining smoking rates, the disease is rising in certain groups, such as younger people and never-smokers, reveals Julie R. Brahmer, MD, MSc, Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program, Professor of Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and the Marilyn Meyerhoff Professor in Thoracic Oncology.

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“We’re not completely sure why that is,” concedes Dr. Brahmer, adding that factors like air pollution and genetic susceptibility, where genes can’t fully repair DNA damaged by toxins, may play a role. Here, she shares the biggest causes of lung cancer:

• Smoking: still the number one cause of lung cancer (See our best quit-smoking strategies.)
• Environmental toxins: The biggest culprits include radon, asbestos and silica; in fact, Dr. Brahmer encourages getting your home checked for radon, a naturally occurring, odorless, toxic gas.
• Air pollution: Dr. Brahmer points out that one English study mapped the most industrially polluted areas in England and found that rates of lung cancer in never-smokers correlated with higher pollution levels.
• Chronic lung diseases (like COPD): chronic inflammation in the lungs can increase the risk of developing lung cancer

It’s important to note that while some studies suggest low vitamin D levels are also associated with a higher risk of lung cancer, Dr. Brahmer cautions that these findings are “mixed,” and the jury is still out on this potential link. (Discover how much vitamin D women over 50 really need per day.)

Another more concerning possible trigger: vaping. Though she admits the data is still “sparse,” Dr. Brahmer is quick to point out it’s very likely not good for your lungs.

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4 common lung cancer symptoms

Unfortunately, there are few early warning signs of the disease, and most cases are caught incidentally, when other imaging or tests are done for unrelated reasons, notes Dr. Brahmer. That said, she points out a few common lung cancer symptoms to watch for:

• Shortness of breath
• Persistent cough
• Chest pain (which can be in the front of the chest, back or shoulders)
• Fatigue (more common in women, observes Dr. Brahmer)

Lung cancer treatment options

Owing to improved treatment options and increased screening, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is now 30 percent, a significant improvement from 20 percent just a decade ago. The main ways to treat the disease include:

Surgery

It’s still the primary strategy for early-stage lung cancer, confirms Dr. Brahmer. Chemotherapy and immunotherapy is often used in conjunction with the procedure, which removes cancerous tissue.

Targeted therapy

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As its name suggests, this approach targets specific mutations in lung cancer, particularly in people who have never smoked, explains Dr. Brahmer.

Immunotherapy

This lung cancer treatment seeks to unleash the best weapon we already have: our immune system. “The therapy uses what’s called checkpoint inhibitors to take the ‘brakes’ off the immune system—immunotherapy has greatly changed the way we treat lung cancer,” Dr. Brahmer reveals.

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Former smoker? You need to know about this

If you are between the ages of 50 and 80 and smoke or have quit within the past 15 years, talk to your doctor about lung cancer screening, urges Dr. Brahmer. “Only 20 percent of eligible people get screened—which means 80 percent of those who should be aren’t.” That’s important because, as with all cancers, early detection of lung cancer is crucial to a positive outcome.