And the risk increases with the length of time and amount a person smokes. Some people, however, develop the disease without exposure to any known risk factors. Green emphasizes if a person stops smoking before a cancer develops, the damaged lung tissue starts to gradually return to normal. While even after 10 years, an ex-smoker's risk does not equal the lower risk of a person who never smoked, the risk is reduced to half that of people who continue to smoke. Since symptoms of lung cancer often do not appear until the disease is advanced, by the time incidental diagnosis is made, it can be too late.
Some symptoms do occur in patients with early lung cancer.
Green emphasizes that prompt attention to symptoms and early diagnosis can result in a cure in some patients, and help others live longer with a better quality of life. In choosing a treatment plan, the most significant considerations are the type of cancer and the stage to which the cancer has developed. Other factors include the overall health of the patient, the likely side effects of treatment, and the probabilities of curing the disease, extending life, and relieving symptoms. As an oncologist, Green enthusiastically embraces recent surgical advances that have resulted in major, measurable benefits to lung cancer patients. Better techniques have reduced the amount of lung removed, resulting in more patients who qualify for this procedure.