What Lung Cancer Is
Dr. Rob + Sources
Dr. Rob on Lung CancerWhy screening changes the curve
Most lung cancers are non-small-cell (NSCLC); about 15% are small-cell, which is more aggressive. The disease is often silent until advanced — which is why most cases were historically caught late.
Low-dose CT screening is the game-changer. In high-risk smokers it catches cancer early enough to cut deaths by about 20%. The other half of the fight is prevention: nothing lowers lung-cancer risk like never smoking — or quitting.
📊 Data sourcesACS Cancer Facts & FiguresUSPSTF Screening Recommendations
Lung cancer begins in the cells lining the airways. The two main groups are non-small-cell lung cancer (~85%, including adenocarcinoma and squamous cell) and small-cell lung cancer (~15%), which grows and spreads faster. It often causes no symptoms until it's advanced.
While smoking is the dominant cause, lung cancer also occurs in people who never smoked — driven by radon, secondhand smoke, air pollution, and genetics. That's why symptoms like a persistent cough, coughing blood, or unexplained breathlessness always deserve evaluation.
More deaths than breast + prostate + colon combined.
~80% of cases tied to tobacco.
Radon, secondhand smoke, and pollution cause it too.
Screening cuts deaths ~20% in high-risk people.