Although heart disease and related ailments are our biggest killers, the “scariest disease” among Americans surely is cancer in its varied forms.
Lung cancer is particularly frightening.
But fortunately, many cases of lung cancer can be avoided: Just don’t smoke!
To head off lung cancer among smokers, specialized CT (computerized tomography) scans recently have proved effective in early detection, making possible some lifesaving, though costly, treatments.
But there are warnings that repeated CT scans pose their own dangers from radiation exposure.
And in some cases, the scans can produce false positive indications, which may result in unnecessary surgery.
There are about 200,000 new lung cancers diagnosed in the United States each year, and 159,000 lung cancer deaths. Because most lung cancers are diagnosed only in advanced stages, the five-year survival rate is just 15 percent.
Many diseases are difficult to avoid or treat. But who can explain human nature that causes so many people to engage in habits that they know well in advance can invite terrible health results?
We inoculate or vaccinate to prevent many diseases. Avoiding lung cancer is much easier — not even involving a needle! Just don’t “light up”!