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In its simplest terms, lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal, cancerous cells in one or both of the lungs. Lumps of these cells form cancerous tumors that make it difficult for the lung to function properly.

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It's the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. More people die of lung cancer than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be about 215,020 new cases of lung cancer in 2008 including 114,690 in men and 100,330 in women. Lung cancer is rare in people under age 45. The average lifetime chance that a man will develop lung cancer is about 1 in 13. For women it is 1 in 16. These numbers include smokers and nonsmokers so the risk is higher for smokers, lower for nonsmokers.     

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In a nutshell, the risk factors for lung cancer are smoking, smoking, and smoking. The CDC reports that smoking tobacco is the major risk factor for lung cancer. In the U.S., about 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in women are due to smoking. Smokers are 10 to 20 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke.  Secondhand smoke is also linked to lung cancer. Other risk factors for this cancer are exposure to asbestos and radon gas and a family history of lung cancer.

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This is a tricky one because sometimes there aren't any symptoms of lung cancer. One-quarter of people don’t even have symptoms when their lung cancer is advanced, reports the CDC. In other people, symptoms that may suggest lung cancer can include:

• shortness of breath
• coughing that doesn't go away
• wheezing
• coughing up blood
• chest pain
• fever
• weight loss

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The March 2006 lung cancer death of nonsmoker Dana Reeve, the widow of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, shed some light on this issue. It turns out that more than 60% of new lung cancer patients have never smoked or already have quit smoking, says the Lung Cancer Alliance. In some of these people, exposure to secondhand smoke may actually be a culprit. Reeve, for example, a lounge singer, performed in some very smoky clubs. So in short, yes nonsmokers can -- and do -- get lung cancer.

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To treat lung cancer, surgery to remove the tumor, radiation (X-rays that kill or shrink cancer cells directed at the site of the tumor), chemotherapy (systemic drugs that kill all fast-growing cells in the body including cancer cells), and potentially experimental treatments are all part of your doctors tool box. Before deciding on which treatment or combination of treatments is right for you, your doctor will have to determine how advanced your lung cancer is.

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The best way to prevent lung cancer is not to smoke and to avoid breathing in other people's smoke. If you smoke, quit. While the risk for former smokers remains elevated when compared to a nonsmoker, it continues to fall with each year of smoking cessation. In fact, after quitting for 10 years, an ex-smoker reduces their risk anywhere from 30% to 50%. Just do it!

Eating a healthy diet loaded with fruits and vegetables may also help prevent lung cancer. There have been many attempts to reduce the risk of lung cancer in current or former smokers by giving them high doses of vitamins or vitamin-like drugs, but none of these trials have worked out favorably. In one study, a nutrient related to vitamin A called beta-carotene actually increased the rate of lung cancer, so it's back to the drawing board!

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There are two main types of lung cancer: non-small-cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer. Non-small-cell lung cancer accounts for about 80% of lung cancers. They include a heterogeneous group of cancers that grow and spread less rapidly than small-cell lung cancer. By contrast, small-cell lung cancer accounts for 20% of all lung cancers. Although the cells are small, they multiply quickly and form large tumors that can spread throughout the body. Smoking is almost always the cause of small-cell lung cancer.

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Unfortunately, there is no test to detect early lung cancer yet. But a new technique called spiral or helical low-dose CT scanning has been successful in detecting early lung cancers in smokers and former smokers. It has not yet been shown whether this test will actually save lives. For one, it often finds abnormalities that require testing and surgery but turn out not to be cancer. Hopefully, the National Lung Screening Trial will yield definitive answers on whether or not this test is an appropriate way to detect lung cancer early. Until then, talk to your doctor about whether this test is right for you.

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Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other plant-based products may help protect against lung cancer, according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The study showed that the people who consumed the highest amount of plant-based foods (phytoestrogens) had nearly half the lung cancer risk as those with the lowest phytoestrogen intake from food. The pattern was strongest in nonsmokers, but it was also seen in current smokers, the researchers report.