It's Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the Faces of Lung Cancer Report shows 20% of people have less sympathy for people with lung cancer than other types of cancer.
Dr. Ken Schneider is a radiation oncologist at Windsor Regional Hospital and says it's another signal that the country's most deadly cancer continues to be misunderstood.
"Because it's a controllable risk factor, it might not get as much sympathy as other malignancies where we don't know the underlying cause," says Schneider. "It doesn't dismiss the fact that it's a very serious, and a very prevalent malignancy that has to be managed as effectively as possible."
As heard on AM800's The Afternoon News, Schneider says smoking isn't the only source of lung cancer, but quitting should be done sooner, rather than later. He stresses the longer lung cancer goes unchecked, the less survivable it becomes.
"There's other issues related to smoking, heart disease and stroke, but it's still important to try to quit because you will reduce your chances," says Schneider. "The latent period can be anywhere from 10 to 15 to 20 years later."
Schneider says CAT Scans are the leading method of trying to weed out lesions in their early stages, but a process accurately determining what's cancerous, and what isn't is still being developed.