Lung cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the lungs. Your lungs are two spongy organs in your chest that absorb oxygen when you breathe in and release carbon dioxide. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. People who smoke are at the greatest risk of lung cancer, but people who have never smoked have lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer increases with the length and number of cigarettes you have smoked. If you quit smoking, even after smoking for many years, you can reduce your risk of developing lung cancer.
People with symptoms do not always have lung cancer until the disease has reached a later stage. Lung cancer typically doesn't cause signs and symptoms in its earliest stages. Signs and symptoms of lung cancer typically occur when the disease is advanced. Loss of appetite, changes in a person's voice, such as hoarseness, frequent lung infections, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, persistent cough that may get worse, shortness of breath, unexplained headaches, loss of wheezing
Lung cancer treatments depend on its location and stage, as well as the individual's overall health. Surgery and radiation therapy are the most common approaches to treating lung cancer, but other treatments are available. For example, doctors often treat chemotherapy with small cell lung cancer.