What Can I Do If I'm At Risk ... Health Article

If you are at risk for lung cancer, what can you do? The best thing you can do is to try to avoid as many of the risks as possible.

Have your home checked for radon.

Nonsmokers can benefit from never starting to smoke and from staying away from those who do.

Most important--don’t smoke. Since it’s known that smoking tobacco causes most cases of lung cancer, if you do smoke, you’ll benefit from quitting as soon as possible.

When you quit smoking, your risk for getting cancer gets lower over time. Even if you’ve already been told you have lung cancer, you’ll benefit from kicking the habit. Stopping smoking also greatly reduces your risk of getting many other cancers. These include cancers of the bladder, pancreas, larynx, mouth, esophagus, pharynx, and kidney. There are many ways to quit smoking. If you want to quit, talk with your doctor or nurse about creating a plan to stop and to find out what resources are available.