Chronic Disease Risk Assessment

Lung Cancer, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “cancer of a highly malignant form that affects the lungs, tends to metastasize to other parts of the body, and is characterized by small round or oval cells which resemble oat grains and have little cytoplasm.” It forms within the cells that line the air passages. Lung cancer has two main forms: non-small cell and small cell.

The majority of all lung cancer cases are caused by smoking, which is most often seen in patients that are or were heavy smokers. While smoking also contributes to non-small cell cancer, it also includes several types of cancers. In chapter 12 of our readings it states that “of the several lifestyle risk factors for cancer, tobacco use is perhaps the most significant and the most preventable.” Our readings also state that male smoker’s relative risk is of developing cancer is about 23 times higher than a male nonsmoker. Age and sex are major risk factors as well. Table 12.3 of chapter 12 shows that 1 in 101 men and 1 in 124 women will develop lung cancer between ages forty and 59.

According to an article I found (http://lungcancer.about.com/od/whatislungcancer/a/lungcancerwomen.htm), lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in women despite the male probability of contraction showing a slightly higher result. More woman die from lung cancer yearly than the next three cancer related causes combined. Ironically, a higher percentage of woman who have never smoked develop lung cancer. This is in part, contributed to a genetic predisposition. Some studies show that women may be more susceptible to the carcinogens found in cigarettes and that women often develop cancer after fewer years of smoking than men.

According to the American Cancer Society, secondhand smoke, or side stream smoke, can be just as deadly as