Dr Chris discusses CT scans detecting lung cancer
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, but it’s also the most common cause of cancer death in the UK. This kind of cancer is frustratingly preventable, as the main cause is a lifestyle habit rather than something that is out of your control. Express.co.uk reveals the four things that could prevent you from developing lung cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.
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Lung cancer accounts for around a fifth of all cancer deaths in females and males combined, above bowel, prostate and breast cancer.
While your chances of a long life after being diagnosed with lung cancer are slim, this disease is among the most preventable cancer.
That’s why it’s so important to understand the main risk factors of lung cancer in order to significantly drop your risk of catching it.
Express.co.uk breaks down the top four things that could prevent the third most common cancer in the UK.
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Quit smoking
More than 70 percent of lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
Therefore, it makes sense to quit smoking to prevent the disease - even if you’re just a ‘social smoker’.
When you smoke, more than 5,000 harmful chemicals enter your lungs and at least 70 of these chemicals can cause cancer by damaging your DNA.
Cancer Research UK’s advice states that the longer you smoke and the more you smoke, the more likely you are to develop lung cancer.
The site reads: “Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health - the sooner you stop, the better.”
Smoking even less than one cigarette a day is harmful and can significantly increase your risk of dying early compared with people who have never smoked.
Air pollution
Air pollution can cause lung cancer too, depending on the levels of air pollution you are exposed to on a regular basis.