November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and being informed about the risks of the disease is your first step to early detection and treatment. Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers, with a survival rate of only 13 percent. It kills more Americans each year than breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer combined. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that nearly 160,000 people die from lung cancer each year.

So what is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer? That's simple: smoking. "Ninety percent of men with lung cancer are smokers, and 80 percent of women with lung cancer are smokers," says UAB Thoracic Surgeon Robert Cerfolio, M.D. "This is why lung cancer is seen as a self-induced disease. But you don't have to be a smoker to get the disease.

"People are at an increased risk for developing lung cancer from their environment, especially if that environment includes smokers," Cerfolio says.

Is there a screening test for lung cancer?
While not widely publicized, Cerfolio says that screening tests for lung cancer can be performed. "Chest x-rays and CT scans can be very beneficial in early detection of lung cancer, even though they are not National Institute of Health (NIH)-supported lung cancer screening tests," he says. "You need to ask your doctor for these screenings for lung cancer specifically, because many will not offer it unless asked.

"These screenings tests can show a cancerous mass in the lung before symptoms begin, which can result in better treatment outcomes," Cerfolio says.

When it comes to lung cancer screenings and detection, a physician initially performs a chest x-ray to look for an abnormality in the lungs. If the x-ray shows anything out of the ordinary, such as a mass, the physician then performs a CT scan of the lungs. Cerfolio recommends that patients with an abnormal CT scan see a lung surgeon, who is equipped to decide if a biopsy or surgery is the best course of action.

What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
Lung cancer is especially dangerous because of its lack of symptoms while the cancer is still treatable. "Once these symptoms show up, it's often too late," Cerfolio says. However, if you are a smoker and experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• Severe headaches
• Bone pain
• Dramatic weight loss
• Hemoptasis (coughing up blood)
• Shortness of breath

What can you do to reduce your risk for lung cancer?
In a nutshell, quit smoking. Because smoking directly increases your chances of getting lung cancer, the sooner you quit, the better. Quitting now not only adds years to your life, it increases your quality of life.

In addition, Cerfolio adds that losing weight can also reduce your risk of lung cancer. "We need to have a reconditioning of society to get people to quit smoking and lose weight," he says.

Why choose UAB for lung cancer screenings and treatment?
UAB is home to one of the most experienced teams of thoracic surgeons, nurses and thoracic anesthesiologists in the world - a group that routinely performs complicated lung surgeries referred to them by other physicians. In addition, UAB is home to a brand new, state-of-the-art 19-bed Thoracic Surgery Unit - one of a handful of units of its kind in the world dedicated solely to caring for diseases and disorders of the lung and esophagus.

"Our patients come to us for the team, not for any one individual," Cerfolio says. "Everyone involved with the new Thoracic Surgery Unit - the physicians, nurses and medical support staff - is highly specialized in diseases of the lung and esophagus, primarily lung cancer."

If you'd like more information about lung cancer, click here. To schedule an appointment with a UAB physician who specializes in diseases of the lung or esophagus, call UAB HealthFinder at 1-800-UAB-8816.