Answer:
Lung Cancer Risk Factors
A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, like smoking, can be changed. Others, like a person’s age or family history, can’t be changed.
But having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. And some people who get the disease may have few or no known risk factors.
Several risk factors can make you more likely to develop lung cancer. These factors are related to the risk of lung cancer in general. It’s possible that some of these might not apply to small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
Risk factors you can change
Tobacco smoke
Smoking is by far the leading risk factor for lung cancer. About 80% of lung cancer deaths are thought to result from smoking and this number is probably even higher for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). It’s very rare for someone who has never smoked to have SCLC.
The risk of lung cancer for people who smoke is many times higher than for people who don't smoke. The longer you smoke and the more packs a day you smoke, the greater your risk.
Cigar smoking and pipe smoking are almost as likely to cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking. Smoking low-tar or “light” cigarettes increases lung cancer risk as much as regular cigarettes. Smoking menthol cigarettes might increase the risk even more since the menthol may allow people to inhale more deeply.
Secondhand smoke
If you don’t smoke, breathing in the smoke of others (called secondhand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke) can increase your risk of developing lung cancer. Secondhand smoke is thought to cause more than 7,000 deaths from lung cancer each year.
If you or someone you care about needs help quitting, see How To Quit Smoking or Smokeless Tobacco or call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345
Exposure to radon
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that results from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. You can’t see, taste, or smell it. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in this country, and is the leading cause among people who don't smoke.
Outdoors, there is so little radon that it is not likely to be dangerous. But indoors, radon can be more concentrated. Breathing it in exposes your lungs to small amounts of radiation. This may increase a person’s risk of lung cancer.
Homes and other buildings in nearly any part of the United States can have high indoor radon levels (especially in basements).
Step-by-step explanation:
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