According to a recent survey investigating awareness of lung cancer symptoms and smoking prevalence, over 70% of surveyed Americans could name symptoms of lung cancer, the leading cancer killer in the U.S. for both men and women. The survey also found that overall, 18% of people were current smokers while 56% had never smoked regularly. Among the other notable findings were that American women are more likely to say that they have never smoked than men (62% vs. 50%).
Annually, over 226,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and nearly 160,000 will die of the disease. Smoking is the most common and significant cause of lung cancer, which contributes to the stigma around the disease. People who smoke now or have a history of heavy smoking are at greatest risk for developing lung cancer, although some people may develop lung cancer who have never smoked at all.
Survey respondents most frequently named breathlessness, a cough and coughing blood as symptoms of the disease. Other symptoms of lung cancer can include repeated pneumonia or bronchitis, weight loss and loss of appetite, hoarseness, chronic fatigue and constant chest pain.
The Global Lung Cancer Coalition 2013 survey was conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC), whose U.S. members include the Prevent Cancer Foundation, CANCERcare, the Lung Cancer Alliance and the National Lung Cancer Partnership. For more information about GLCC and the 2013 survey, visit http://www.lungcancercoalition.org.
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