Focus on Lung Cancer 

This year, 150,000 Americans will die from lung cancer…

Lung cancer is the number-one cause of cancer death in Delaware.  Smoking is the number-one risk factor for lung cancer—in the United States, cigarette smoking is linked to about 90 percent of lung cancers.  Even scarier, more than half of those with lung cancer will die within one year of being diagnosed.  November is Lung Cancer Awareness month.  And there’s a lot that needs to be talked about.

Don’t give up on giving up.

It can be a challenge to quit smoking. The Delaware Quitline is here to help. Get the support and encouragement you need to put that cigarette out for good. Check out these three free ways to quit.

Never smoked?  You are still at risk. Since 1964, 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from exposure to secondhand smoke.  Secondhand smoke is smoke burning at the end of a cigarette and the smoke that is exhaled from the mouth of the smoker. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals—many of which cause cancer. When you breathe secondhand smoke, it is just like you are smoking.  

According to both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Lung Association, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the nation, second only to smoking. And it's the sixth-leading cause of all cancer deaths combined, responsible for about 20,000 lung cancer deaths every year.  Find out more here.

Current or former smoker?

It’s important to get screened—no excuses. Now there’s a screening that can help detect lung cancer at an early stage when it’s most treatable. Early detection of cancer can save your life.

You should be screened if you’re a:

• Current smoker who has smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for the last 30 or more years or two packs a day for the last 15 or more years
• Smoker who quit smoking within the last 15 years and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 or more years or two packs a day for 15 or more years
• Smoker or former smoker who is 55 to 80 years of age

Schedule a screening with your health care provider or have a nurse navigator contact you to schedule a screening.