TORONTO, ONTARIO

January is radon action month, for good reason. Despite being the second leading cause of lung cancer, awareness about this natural gas is extremely low. The Ontario Lung Association is urging homeowners and occupants to better educate themselves about the potential health risks radon poses for the whole family, especially for smokers.

What is radon?

Radon is a gas naturally produced by the breakdown of uranium in the ground that can seep into a home often through its foundation. It goes undetected because you can't see it, smell it or taste it. Radon is random; there is no formula for predicting which home will have high levels of radon. The best way to detect radon is to test your home.

Higher risk for smokers:

Delaware Countians at high risk of developing lung cancer may have recently gotten another lease on life.

Thanks to Dr. Raymond J. Vivacqua, medical director of the Crozer Regional Cancer Center, and his participating partners, an evaluation procedure called the Family Lung Assessment Program, which is accessible to all people, offers free identification surveys and low-cost CAT scans for specific populations in jeopardy of developing lung cancer.

“I’m hoping to reduce the number of people scanned so we target the people who need it,” Vivacqua said.

Although the program has been in formation over the past three years and a few studies and scans have been performed, the time has become appropriate for its unveiling, the hematologist/oncologist said.

“The perfect storm has occurred here,” Vivacqua said, highlighting the release of a study backed by the National Cancer Institute.

Smokers who have higher levels of vitamin B-6 and certain essential proteins in their blood have a lower risk of getting lung cancer than those deficient in these nutrients, according to a study by cancer specialists.

READ FULL ARTICLE

By Derek Raghavan, M.D., Ph.D

Q: Why do people who never smoke get lung cancer? -- Erin Ryder, Los Angeles

A: Dr. Derek Raghavan, a medical oncologist and chair and director of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center, responds:

Erin,

That’s a very good question, and there are actually several answers.

Probably the most important issue is that many people who claim not to smoke actually do. But they don’t smoke actively, with a cigarette stuck between their lips. Rather, they are passive smokers. This means that they breathe in the cigarette smoke that is exhaled by others...