Lung Cancer Awareness Month, observed in November, is a time to educate the public about what lung cancer is and how to prevent it.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month is just one example of the life-saving public service health programs developed by public health professionals to promote health and wellness in communities across the United States.

Lung cancer develops in the lungs when a cluster of abnormal, malignant cells form a tumor. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer, but is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women worldwide. It typically occurs in people over the age of 65, with fewer than 2% of lung cancer cases occurring in women and men under the age of 45.

The lung cancer survival rate has dramatically increased by 33% over the past ten years thanks in part to treatment advances and increased access to care. The American Lung Association is committed to doing even more to increase survival rates.

You can lower your lung cancer risk in several ways.

Don’t Smoke

The most important thing you can do to prevent lung cancer is to not start smoking, or to quit if you smoke. Smoking can cause cancer and then block your body from fighting it. Nearly 9 out of 10 lung cancers are caused by smoking cigarettes. Treatments are getting better for lung cancer, but it still kills more men and women than any other type of cancer.

For help quitting, visit smokefree.gov, call 1 (800) QUIT-NOW (784-8669), or text “QUIT” to 47848. It’s never too late to quit!

Fast Facts

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States. Each year, about 218,500 people in the United States are told they have lung cancer, and about 142,000 people die from this disease. Different people have different symptoms for lung cancer. Most people with lung cancer don’t have symptoms until the cancer is advanced.