More than one in four cancer cases are diagnosed lung and lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths more common among men and women in the United States. In 2008 it is expected that more than 161 000 deaths from lung cancer, surpassing the number of deaths from breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.
At the same time, it is likely that many lung cancer cases are preventable. The inhalation of cancer-causing substances such as snuff smoke may cause changes in lung tissue shortly after exposure, this is called precancerous changes. However, the same cancer typically develops over many years, and if detected at an early enough stage can be eliminated by various treatments.
