Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, especially small cell carcinoma, the type of lung cancer responsible for the death of “Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond at the age of 44.
Only three weeks ago he was diagnosed with this brutal form of malignant cancer. At the time, it quickly spread through his system, ”Roger Paul, a spokesperson for the actor, told NBC News.
“The only grace it showed was its sharp and swift execution.”
The disease takes a heavy toll on Americans: Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the U.S. It is also the leading cause of death from cancer.
What are the types of lung cancer?
Most people think of lung cancer as one disease, but there are actually two main types, which grow differently:
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: according to the American Cancer Society, this is the most common type, accounting for 80-85% of cases.
Small cell lung cancer: Identified as the cause of Diamond’s death, it is much rarer, accounting for about 10-15% of all cases, but it grows and spreads more quickly than the other type. By the time most patients are diagnosed, this cancer will have spread outside of the lungs. Diamond was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, the most advanced type.
What Causes Lung Cancer?
About 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, and many others are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, according to the American Cancer Society.
Current and former smokers are most at risk for small cell lung cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. While it’s rare for a non-smoker to be diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, it can happen.
Other risk factors include older age; have a family history of lung cancer; exposure to asbestos, arsenic, chromium, beryllium, nickel, soot, or tar in the workplace; exposed at home or at work to radiation from radiation therapy, certain imaging tests, or radon; air pollution or HIV infection.
Sometimes lung cancer strikes people with no known risk factors for the disease. “There is a stigma associated with lung cancer where people think, ‘If someone never smoked, they would never get lung cancer,'” says Dr. Helena Yu, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
What Are Lung Cancer Symptoms?
Early-stage lung cancer that has not spread often does not cause symptoms. When warning signs appear, the American Lung Association says they include the following:
- a cough that doesn’t go away and gets worse over time
- hoarseness
- chest pain that often gets worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
- shortness of breath or wheezing
- frequent lung infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia
- coughing up blood
- loss of appetite
- unexplained weight loss
- fatigue
There is no right way to scan for lung cancer early. For now, the best advice is to get screened for lung cancer every year if you’ve smoked heavily in the past and are 55 or older, experts said.
What is the treatment?
Small cell lung cancer grows rapidly, so it usually responds well to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery, immunotherapy, and laser therapy can also be used.
Non-small cell lung cancer has those treatment options plus others, including targeted therapy, cryosurgery, photodynamic therapy, and electrocautery. Combining treatments can be more effective than relying on one approach.
Lung cancer is treatable but not curable, so it can return.
What is the lung cancer survival rate?
According to the American Lung Association, more than half, 56%, of people who contract lung cancer before it spreads to other parts of the body are alive five years after diagnosis.
That number drops to 5% for patients whose lung cancer has spread to other organs. More than half of people with lung cancer die within a year of diagnosis.
