Lung cancer is a common cause of death in women and men worldwide. It was relatively rare before the 1930s but became increasingly common as smoking became more popular. As awareness about the dangers of smoking is growing, lung cancer rates are starting to fall, but it is still one of the most widely spread types of cancer. It is most common in people over the age of 65 who often have other medical conditions too. Smoking is one of the main causes but people who do not smoke and have never smoked are also diagnosed with lung cancer.
Compared to many other types of cancer, bronchogenic carcinoma prognosis is generally not as good. It is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. This type of cancer is often already advanced when it is diagnosed, and advanced lung cancer is difficult to treat successfully. A third of those who have been diagnosed with lung cancer will live at least a year, and every tenth person who has been diagnosed will live at least another five years. Every individual bronchogenic carcinoma prognosis depends on the stage of the cancer: how much the cancer has progressed by the time it gets diagnosed.
Lung cancer has two types: small cell and non-small cell cancer. Most lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer. The different types are classified based on how the tumor cells appear. Small cell and non-small cell lung cancer spread in different ways and their treatments are also different.
Statistics are never completely accurate, and the best person to ask about bronchogenic carcinoma prognosis is one's own doctor. Even doctors cannot always predict exactly how the cancer will develop. What the bronchogenic carcinoma prognosis is for each individual also depends on the type of cancer: whether it is small cell or non-small cell cancer.
Cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. Other causes include exposure to asbestos (for example at work) or other toxic materials. Some lung diseases increase the risk of developing lung cancer.
The vast majority (approximately 90%) of cases are related to tobacco smoking. The risk increases the more you smoke and the longer you continue smoking. Those who smoke the most cigarettes a day and have been smoking the longest have the biggest risk of developing lung cancer. Tobacco smoking is a bigger cause of lung cancer than cigar or pipe smoking, although these also increase the risk.
There are more than 4000 chemical compounds in tobacco smoke and many of these are carcinogenic. If one decides to stop smoking, the risk of developing lung cancer becomes smaller over time as the number of non-smoking years increases. Passive smoking contributes to the risk of lung cancer as well.