Lung Cancer

            
             Lung Cancer is a leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. Cancer in general does not discriminate and it takes the people closes from you. Lung Cancer took my grandpas life in January 2001. He was 55 years old and had loving family who cared deeply for him. Lung cancer has greatly affected my life and it is important to me to learn about why it took this man away from me. The leading cause of lung cancer is smoking, approximately 80-90% of lung cancers is related to cigarette smoking. Along with smoking comes the symptoms, then the affects of cancer, and finally treatment, if any can be done.
             Several causes of lung cancer are possible, but one thing is clear: smoking is by far greatest risk factor. While other causes exist, they pale in comparison to the risk caused by cigarette smoke. Tobacco smoke accounts for about 80% of deaths in men and 75% in women. The more you smoke everyday increases your risk of obtaining lung cancer. Even if you stop smoking, it takes ten to almost fifteen years for your lungs to heal themselves, and for the risks of cancer to decrease to that of a nonsmoker. Cigarette smoke contains over 3,500 chemicals, most known as carcinogens. Some examples of these chemicals are cadmium, nickel, and nicotine, which people crave, and rat poison. Can you believe that people would become addictive to rat poison? In addition, did you know that cigarettes contain cyanide? Astronaut, and army personnel carry cyanide incase of being tortured by enemies, the cyanide kills them instantly with out any pain. It is hard for me to believe that people would subject them selves to this kind of cruelty. However, there are other causes of lung cancer such as second hand smoke. You can have never smoked a day in your life and end up with lung cancer. That does not seem fair that you would get a disease because of someone else's habit, but it happens. .
             Lung Cancer symptoms occur because of disruption of the normal function of the lungs or because cancer has spread through out other areas of the body.