On World Lung Cancer Day (1 August), the European Respiratory Society, alongside members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) commemorates, celebrates and supports those impacted by lung cancer. FIRS continues to support the grassroots efforts of the lung cancer community to raise awareness about lung cancer and its global impact, creating an educational movement of understanding about lung cancer risks as well as early treatment around the world.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.8 million new cases in 2012. Along with trachea and bronchus cancers, lung cancer led to 1.7 million early deaths in 2016. It is also responsible for nearly 1 in 5 cancer deaths according to the World Health Organization. Lung cancer claims more lives yearly than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 234,030 new cases of lung cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2018.
World Lung Cancer Day 2018 is a great opportunity for us all to highlight the many lung cancer risk factors, to help ensure early detection. While most understand that smoking is the single greatest risk factor for lung cancer, other lesser-known risk factors include environment and genetics. Environmental exposure to radon, asbestos, arsenic, beryllium and uranium have all been linked to lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer also increases with a history of cancer in another part of the body, age, family history, radiation to the chest area and lung diseases like COPD.
FIRS would also like to highlight key symptoms and screening options. Symptoms include change in mucus, chest or back pain, coughing up blood and difficulty swallowing. Tests that may be used to diagnose lung cancer include chest X-rays, CT and PET scans, bronchoscopy and needle biopsies. If you are a current or former smoker and over the age of 55, you may be a candidate for a low-dose CT scan screening that can potentially detect lung cancer in its earliest stages.
To mark World Lung Cancer Day, ERS is offering a €10 discount on all print copies of the ERS Monograph on Lung Cancer ordered before 17 August, 2018. Visit ersbookshop.com to buy your copy.
You can also gain free online access to chapters on "Early cancer detection" and "Early cancer therapies" (in the ERS Monograph on Interventional Pulmonology), and "Lung cancer: screening and staging" (in the ERS Monograph on Imaging) when you visit books.ersjournals.com before 17 August. To get these chapters, add them to your cart on the ERS Publications website and complete the purchase process as normal. You will not be charged.