Lung cancer can develop when the DNA in your lung’s cells changes. These changes make the cancer quickly grow and stay alive when normal cells die. The cells may join together in a mass that’s called a tumor.
Certain risk factors make these changes more likely. By understanding them, you can reduce your risk for lung cancer and improve your health:
The harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke may damage lung cells in ways that lead to cancer. About 85% of lung cancer cases are linked with smoking. If you smoke, you are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer than someone who doesn’t smoke.
Your risk is highest if you started smoking at an early age, have smoked for a long time and/or smoke a lot of cigarettes, cigars or hookah. Drinking alcohol daily as well as smoking a lot increases your risk even more.
Quitting smoking is the most effective way to lower your risk of lung cancer. The best way to quit is by using a combination of counseling, nicotine replacement therapies and medications.
If you don’t use tobacco, you’re still at risk for lung cancer from the smoke from other people’s cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Even brief exposure can be harmful, especially for children and people who don’t smoke.
Avoiding places where people smoke and keeping your home and car smoke-free can reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. If your friends and family members who use tobacco are trying to quit, give them your support.
Long-term exposure to radon gas, asbestos fibers, arsenic, chromium and pollutants like diesel exhaust can increase your lung cancer risk.
Radon is a gas that can accumulate in homes. You can buy a test kit or have a professional test the air in your home. You may be exposed to asbestos in older buildings. Arsenic is found in contaminated drinking water, and chromium may be found in water, food or the air.
Having a family member with lung cancer can increase your risk, and some genetic changes you inherit from your parents may make lung cancer more likely.
Having lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis or previous lung cancer, or infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may increase your risk.
Radiation therapy to the breast or chest is a minor risk factor for lung cancer. The benefits of radiation therapy as a cancer treatment far outweigh the risks.
It’s not clear whether smoking marijuana or using e-cigarettes (vaping) increases your risk of lung cancer. However, researchers suspect that smoking marijuana may increase risk. And e-cigarettes increase your risk of lung damage — whether they increase the risk of lung cancer is not yet known.
You may be able to strengthen your immune system and lower your risk of many types of cancer, including lung cancer, by choosing a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables and getting regular physical activity.
If you’re at high risk for lung cancer, regular check-ups and screenings can help detect it early when it is more treatable. Talk to your doctor about the best screening schedule for you.
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