November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in American men and women today. Smoking is the biggest risk factor of lung cancer and people who smoke cigarettes or have been smokers at some point in their lives are at a risk of developing lung cancer. Rates of smoking for Latina women are lower than the rates of smoking in other groups of women. Nevertheless,lung cancer is the second cause of cancer deaths among Latina women with breast cancer as the leading cause. Every year, the death rates for lung cancer in Latina women have increased. Statistics show that Latina high school students smoke at higher rates than older Latina women. According to the American Journal of Public Health, while smoking rates among Latinas are lower than those among White or African American women, almost half of Latinas who have ever smoked remain current smokers.

Many non-smokers have also been diagnosed with lung cancer, which means that there are several other risk factors to consider. Second-hand smoke or passive smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer in "non-smokers". Radon gas, a naturally occurring gas that is made when Uranium decays, exposure to asbestos, air pollution and a family history of lung cancer are also factors and any of these combined with smoking compound the risk.

The latest edition of Cancer Facts & Figures for Latinos reports that Latino Americans, the largest , fastest growing, and youngest minority in the United States, have a unique cancer risk profile that entails a targeted approach in cancer prevention. The report goes on to say that Latino Americans are less likely than the non-Hispanic white population to develop and die from the four most notrious cancers (female breast, prostate, colorectum, and lung) as well as all other cancers combined. On the contrary, Hispanics have a higher rate of other cancers related to infections such as, stomach, liver and cervix, and Hispanics are at risk for later detection stage of cancer.

Cancer Facts & Figures for Latinos provides the estimated figures for new cancer cases and deaths in the Latino population for the current year as well as other cancer relevant statistics for Latinos, which include incidence, survival, death rates, risk factors, and screening prevalence.

Cancer Facts & Figures for Latinos for 2009-2011

• An estimated 98,900 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in Latinos in 2009. Prostate is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, while breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Colorectal Cancer is the second-most common cancer in both men and women.
• An estimated 18,800 Hispanics are expected to die from cancer in 2009; the top two causes of cancer death among men are lung and colorectal cancer, while breast and lung cancer are the top two in women.
• Between 1997 and 2006, cancer incidence rates decreased among Hispanics by 1.3% per year in men and 0.6% per year in women, compared to decreases of 0.8% per year and 0.4% per year in non-Hispanic white men and women, respectively.