Cancer Care Associates, Oklahoma City, OK

Approximately 2,560 Oklahomans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. Of those people, 2,380 will die. More than 90 percent of these cases could have been avoided if the person never would have started smoking.

"Oklahoma is a heavy smoking state," said Dr. Alan Langerak, a medical oncologist with Cancer Care Associates. "If you look at the statistics nationwide, we have a lot of lung cancer here."Some signs and symptoms that could signal lung cancer are as simple as a cough that won't go away, unexplained weight loss, bloody phlegm, shortness of breath or an infection that won't go away. Bone pain and abdominal pain can be symptoms. Also lumps and bumps on the skin especially in the neck area above the collar bone should be taken seriously. "Most people with lung cancer will have a cough," said Dr. Langerak, "but if it doesn'd go away be concerned. If you have it more than 10 to 14 days discuss it with your primary care doctor."

If there is suspicion of lung cancer, typically X-rays are taken to check for a mass. Even then it could still be pnuemonia or an infection. If further testing is needed, a CAT scan can be performed.The only way to know if it is cancer is with a biopsy. There are two common ways to perform a biopsy. Either a needle is inserted and a small piece of lung is taken out, or a pulmonary doctor can find the suspicious area and take a biopsy out of that spot.

Once a diagnosis is made, the lung cancer is then classified as a small cell or non-small cell. About 80 percent of all cases are non-small cell cancer."If the disease is localized, meaning a single spot is present in the lung, surgery is the best treamtment option," Dr. Langerak said. "If it's a single lump, surgey is the main treatment. If it has spread within the chest, we can do radiation and chemotherapy which can potentially cure it.

If the cancer spreads outside the chest area into the bones, liver, or other organs, there is no cure."We can treat the symptoms and control the pain," said Dr. Langerak. "We can shrink tumors and improve symptoms with chemotherapy but we can't cure lung cancer if it has spread." Average life expectancy in this instance is about a year, although some patients live considerably longer.

Dr. Langerak's best advice is to never get lung cancer."Avoid it. Don't smoke!" he said."About 80 to 90 percent of all lung cancers are directly caused by smoking."Those living with a smoker are also affected. Non-smokers breathing second-hand smoke have a 30 percent higher chance of getting lung cancer."Now is an ideal time to quit," Dr. Langerak said.