Lung Cancer Isn’t Always Caused By Smoking

According to the American Cancer Society, around 226,000 Americans receive a lung cancer diagnosis every year, and more than 124,000 people die as a result of their diagnosis. In fact, lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths in the U.S., claiming more lives than prostate, breast, and colon cancers combined. It’s widely known that smoking can lead to lung cancer; however, lung cancer can occur in non-smokers as well.

What Causes Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer can have many causes, but it usually occurs after prolonged exposure to a substance that irritates the lungs. Genetic factors can also play a role. The most common causes of lung cancer are:

• Smoking – the most common risk factor for lung cancer, around 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths occur in current or former smokers.
• Radon exposure – a naturally occurring radioactive gas, it can sometimes be found at high concentrations indoors, especially in basements, making it the second most common cause of lung cancer.
• Secondhand smoke – non-smokers who are regularly exposed to tobacco smoke in the home or workplace are exposed to many of the same toxic chemicals as smokers, which dramatically increases their cancer risk.

Some of the other causes of lung cancer include exposure to:

• Asbestos – found in many older buildings and homes, it’s not usually harmful unless released into the air by deterioration, renovation, or demolition.
• Chemicals in the workplace – radioactive ores, diesel exhaust, or other inhaled chemicals all have the potential to increase the risk of lung cancer.
• Dietary supplements – multiple studies have found that smokers who take supplements containing high levels of beta-carotene (vitamin A) have a higher risk of lung cancer compared to smokers who do not take these supplements.
• Arsenic in drinking water – while uncommon in the US, parts of Southeast Asia and South America are known to have high levels of arsenic in their drinking water, which can increase the risk for lung cancer in people who live or frequently travel to these areas.
• Air pollution – around 1 - 2 percent of all deaths from lung cancer in the United States are thought to be due to air pollution.

How Important Is Early Detection?

Tragically, lung cancer has a relatively low survival rate because most people with lung cancer don’t develop symptoms until they’ve reached a more advanced, difficult-to-treat stage. Many who develop symptoms earlier wait to seek treatment until it’s too late.

The odds of surviving lung cancer vary significantly depending on the type of cancer (small cell or non-small cell) and on how far the cancer has spread. The 5-year survival rates for the stages of lung cancer are:

• local (restricted to the lungs) – 30 or 65 percent
• regional (restricted to the tissues surrounding the lungs) – 18 or 37 percent
• distant (spread throughout the body) – 3 or 9 percent

Early detection saves lives, but lung cancers are often not detected early enough to give most people a good chance of survival.

What Can Hinder An Early Diagnosis?

Lung cancer is a concern whenever there are symptoms. People with a significant history of smoking can also get preventative lung cancer screenings to reduce their risk. But when non-smokers develop symptoms, lung cancer is often one of the last thoughts on doctors’ minds. In these patients in particular, there are many reasons why lung cancer may not be detected until it’s had a chance to spread, such as:

• Lung cancer’s asymptomatic nature – lung cancer has few noticeable symptoms in its early stages.
• Barriers to access – being uninsured (or under-insured) can cause people to wait until their symptoms become severe before seeking care.
• Misinterpretation of symptoms – early lung cancer symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory conditions, leading to delays in seeking medical care, as well as misdiagnosis.

When Should Malpractice Be Considered?

A lung cancer diagnosis is a death sentence for many patients. Still, there are instances where a healthcare provider’s failure to diagnose lung cancer can make the odds of survival even more grim, particularly for individuals with no smoking history.

If a doctor fails to get an adequate medical history, including secondhand smoke exposure and any potential chemical exposure at home or in their workplace, they may not recognize the signs of lung cancer until it’s too late. If they assume a patient’s symptoms are due to a respiratory infection and forgo further testing, particularly if treatments haven’t been effective, they could be considered medically negligent if they failed to follow proper standards of care to determine the actual source of their patient’s symptoms.

Likewise, ignoring when a patient is consuming too much beta-carotene in their dietary supplements or failing to recognize that frequent or extended travel to countries in South America or Southeast Asia may be playing a role in their patient’s symptoms could also be potential sources of medical negligence if a physician fails to perform additional testing when warranted.

Why Choose Ross Feller Casey?

The legal team at Ross Feller Casey understands that lung cancer is a difficult diagnosis to receive, particularly in someone who has no history of smoking. When healthcare providers fail to provide the proper standard of care and ignore or misdiagnose the symptoms of lung cancer, it can mean the difference between life and death. If you believe that medical malpractice resulted in a delayed lung cancer diagnosis for yourself or a loved one, contact us for a free consultation. There’s no fee unless you win, so call us to get started today.